Ballot Looms As BBC Makes 'Final Pay Offer'

The BBC has tabled a new, 2% pay offer in reply to a joint union claim submitted in February.
The final pay offer confirmed at pay talks in late May and attended by officials from broadcast union BECTU, the NUJ and Unite will be the subject of a ballot of union members.
BECTU's consultative ballot gets underway almost immediately with voting due to close at midday on Tuesday 21 June.
This latest offer comes after an initial first meeting to discuss the claim that took place in March where BBC management were warned about the dangers of tabling a modest increase.
Gerry Morrissey (BECTU), Jeremy Dear (NUJ) and Mike Eatwell (Unite) stated after the latest news was made public: "The BBC pay offer of 2% is made in light of the potential impact of the licence fee freeze and the likely reduction in spending of between 16 - 20%.
"The implications of the Delivering Quality First (DQF) exercise will be far reaching and we will not know the full extent of the proposals until the early autumn.
"The unions are conscious we may well face a fight over job cuts and defending terms and conditions at that time."
In essence, the pay offer is for all BBC staff and for those employed by Studios and Post Production Ltd on grades two-11 and guarantees a minimum increase for 2011-12 of £400.
The proposed increase would apply to all staff paid up to £60,302 a year with those staff paid above that cap not receiving an increase on basic pay.
If accepted, the percentage increase would also be applied to the floors and ceilings of the grades, to flexibility allowances, UPA (days), night pay, to the rates for Christmas and New Year bank holidays, London Weighting and to all other protected continuing allowances.
The joint unions are adopting a neutral line as far as the ballot recommendation goes but in the event that BECTU members reject the pay offer a formal industrial action ballot will be run.
(BMcC/GK)