In response to a story in this morning's Irish Independent, RTÉ has issued a statement claiming it did not introduce "secret bonuses" to RTÉ staff.

The Independent reported that RTÉ paid secret bonuses to more than 200 managers last year, with one in five getting an average 3.25% boost to their salaries.

RTÉ insists the extra payments are not "bonuses" but simultaneously describes them as "performance increment increases". The station initially refused to divulge figures in relation to the salary top-ups, arguing the release of such information was not in the public interest.

In a statement released today, RTE said, "Increments apply within existing salary ranges, which are below the 2009 levels. These payments are not bonuses. RTÉ confirms that managers have not received bonuses or general pay increases."

They added, "Regarding questions about payment by gender, RTÉ has also confirmed that a review of role and gender equality across the organisation will take place, and we will announce more details of that review soon."

Source: www.businessworld.ie