Union Will Oppose Compulsory Redundancies At STV

BECTU are to seek a guarantee on no compulsory redundancies at STV in response to the reorganisation of news output announced on Thursday.
STV confirmed that its trial news service for Edinburgh has been a success and will be a permanent feature meaning the broadcaster will produce three 30 minute programmes each night: one for the east, one for the west and a dedicated programme for the north of Scotland, the latter to include a bulletin for the Dundee and Tayside area.
Whilst the announcement is good news for regional services in Scotland, the rollout of new technology puts 24 posts at risk across Aberdeen and Glasgow, the majority of them in technical areas such as engineering, camera, sound, and craft editing.
Commenting on the announcement, Paul McManus, BECTU's Officer for Scotland said: "Audience share is up so operationally the move to three news programmes is at first glance a success story but we fear the news output in Aberdeen will be much more lightweight in future.
"We are also very disappointed that the staff who have helped to create the current success are now expected to pay for that with their jobs. BECTU will strongly oppose any attempt at compulsory redundancies and will be looking for guarantees on this when we start the formal process."
The first consultation meeting is scheduled to take place later today.
(BMcN)