RTÉ is set to pay approximately €300,000 in settlements to Fair City stars.
The bulk of the settlement costs is understood to relate to a Work Place Commission (WPC) claim brought by Tony Tormey, who plays Paul Brennan in the popular soap.
The actor, who has worked on the show since 1989, claimed he had a right to a contract of indefinite duration since 2004 – when the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act came into place.
But instead of being placed on a contract of indefinite duration, Tony and other cast members were given annual contracts.
RTÉ insisted Tony was always happy to be a self-employed contractor, and that it was important to engage actors as contractors because the Fair City storyline is fluid – meaning the characters can be killed off at any point.
RTÉ’s new director general Kevin Bakhurst made the decision to settle Tony’s WPC case, along with two others, last month.
Source have told The Sunday Independent that Tony’s settlement alone will cost RTÉ €200,000, including legal costs.
The other two Fair City cases RTÉ has settled in recent weeks involved George McMahon, who plays Mondo O’Connell, and Jim Bartley, who plays Bela Doyle.
The cost to RTÉ of settling both those cases was less than €100,000 — and the state broadcaster sought confidentiality clauses around the terms of the settlements.
