The General Secretary of the Communications Workers' Union has said the job of TV licence inspectors has become more difficult over the last year.Seán McDonagh said events in RTÉ and the continuing political speculation have added to their difficulties.Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr McDonagh said the TV licence model is no longer fit for purpose, and successive ministers and the Government have failed to deal with it.He pointed out that the current system was put in place in the early 1980s, adding that any future changes must ensure that the company does not "carry the can" for the shortcomings of previous governments."It hasn't been updated, the legislation, in terms of making collections," he said."The contract has not been updated and at times An Post itself has had to sponsor and pay some money towards implementing the contract."That is no longer fit-for-purpose. Events at RTÉ made that worse, and the job of the inspector is almost impossible," he said.Mr McDonagh described two new pay deals reached for workers at An Post and Eir as significant and a good outcome.In a statement, An Post said: "We have a duty of care to our staff and this is constantly being reinforced with our colleagues and supported by An Post."Our Inspectors operate under Guidance issued as far back as 2021 which is tailored to dealing with specific situations they might encounter. The guidance also includes some handy sections on the 'Broadcasting Act' and some general legal definitions that may be pertinent to their work."Separately staff have also undergone 'Resilience' training which was initiated as a result of the increased hostility and aggression faced by some staff in the aftermath of the RTÉ crisis."It added: "Yes it is true that for periods during the crisis staff were confined to what we describe as 'non-contact' visits due to the level of aggression and abuse they faced."Full inspections resumed some time back and our inspectors resumed their usual programme of house-to-house calls and engagement with householders."A TV licence inspector based in Co Kerry said people are very resistant to buying the licence following the controversies at RTÉ and uncertainty around the funding model.Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Bill O'Sullivan said there have been no improvements in public attitude towards paying for the licence and that "overall its worse"."As time has gone on, they've become more hardened and basically protesting so, it's made the job much more difficult," he said, adding that people ask him to justify why they must pay the TV licence fee.Mr O'Sullivan said he has not been able to avail of An Post’s resilience training, but is aware of people who have."It’s helpful, but still doesn't alter the mood amongst people", which he described as being unhappiness and anger.
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