RTÉ’s treatment of its former presenter Seán Rocks’s pay had “significant financial implications” for his family after his death, Labour Party media spokeswoman Marie Sherlock has said. Rocks, who died last year after a short illness at the age of 64, presented the RTÉ arts and culture programme Arena for 16 years, beginning in 2009. Dublin Central TD Sherlock told The Irish Times that she has been in contact with Rocks’s widow, Catherine Bailey, for some time. She said that when Rocks took over as presenter of Arena he was put on a producer salary with an additional allowance covering off his on-air role. His pay arrangement had “significant implications” for his partner and two young children upon his passing, Sherlock said on Tuesday. The Labour TD said that it was her understanding that Rocks had repeatedly tried to resolve the situation and have himself classified as a presenter and RTÉ had refused this, adding that the broadcaster was “wronged, and the amount of eulogies about his contribution to RTÉ and arts programming ... and yet behind the scenes that’s how he was treated by RTÉ”. A spokeswoman for Minister for Media Patrick O’Donovan confirmed that he met Bailey on Monday as controversy builds over the classification of workers’ pay at the station. It’s understood Bailey raised classification of Rocks’s employment with O’Donovan and told him that it had had implications for her and her family since his death.[ Derek Mooney pay controversy compounds image of dysfunction and distrust at RTÉOpens in new window ]Earlier on Tuesday, Sherlock told reporters in Leinster House that recent revelations about the structuring of pay at RTÉ had prompted a “fundamental question as to how RTÉ treats all its staff and whether it treats all its staff fairly”.She added: “I suppose, in regards to the case of now-deceased Seán Rocks and how his pay was structured – he was paid as a producer but with a top-up for being a presenter.”“I raise that case not just for Seán’s sake but for every other worker in there, particularly those who have been forced into bogus-self employment over many years.”Arriving at Cabinet on Tuesday morning, O’Donovan told reporters that he had been contacted by a range of people aggrieved with RTÉ in the wake of the broadcaster confirming last week that presenter Derek Mooney was paid enough to feature among the 10 highest-paid presenters every year between 2020 and 2025, according to new figures from the broadcaster. Mooney had not been included in the annually published list as he was deemed to be a “producer” as per the terms of his contract. O’Donovan said: “The staff are very aggrieved. I’ve had several off the record conversations with staff members and I’ve had a lot of anonymised correspondence from staff members from the company. Some people feel very aggrieved.”“I’ve had contact from widows of the organisation who also feel really aggrieved with regard to the categorisation and how people could move from one category to another seamlessly”“There is a lot of hurt in the organisation because people felt this was the end of it three or four years ago, but it appears it wasn’t,” he said. Asked about Sherlock’s comments, RTÉ provided some general details of the pension and benefit schemes relevant after the death of an employee.“RTÉ has a group life assurance policy which pays 2.5 times insured pensionable pay on death in service,” a spokesperson said.“Salary for pension purposes in all RTÉ schemes is basic salary plus pensionable allowances and these would be advised by RTÉ to the pensions administrators.“Currently in RTÉ’s DC [defined contribution] and 50/50 Schemes a spouse’s death-in-service pension is paid based on pensionable salary and potential pensionable service. Children’s pensions are also payable.“Accumulated DC funds in both schemes are also payable on death subject to a potential service-related minimum payment of between one and one and a half times salary.”