BBC Birmingham Staff To Strike

BBC staff in Birmingham will strike for 24 hours this week in protest at management plans to move almost all network production for radio and TV away from the city.
BECTU, the trade union for media allied areas, has announced that those working at BBC Birmingham plan to take strike action this Wednesday.
The strikes will come as no surprise to the BBC who has recently made the decision to move the majority of network production from Birmingham to elsewhere.
BECTU insists that plans to move production of network TV content such as Countryfile, Coast and Hairy Bikers to Bristol make no creative or financial sense.
It is understood that wround 90 BBC staff in Birmingham, including dozens of studio managers, producers, researchers and programme makers amid fears that the city will become a “media ghost town”.
“The BBC’s base in Birmingham, The Mailbox, has cutting edge facilities and cost effective work practices and yet the BBC is walking away from its strong reputation for quality programming robbing England’s second city of capacity and talent,” said BECTU.
The union also points out that no money will be saved by the plans: on top of staff redundancy or relocation costs, new production facilities would have to be built in Bristol.
Strike action by members of broadcasting union BECTU members will start at 3.30pm on Wednesday and will run through to 3.30pm the following day. A public rally will also take place in Victoria Square at 2pm on Thursday.
(LB/GK)