UNIONS URGE SUPPORT IN BBC STAFF VOTE

BECTU and the NUJ are urging support for named candidates in a BBC staff vote.
The election, which is due to start on June 11, is being held for seats on the BBC Forum, a consultative council covering 18 constituencies in the BBC workforce.
Both unions have endorsed a list of candidates, some of them union representatives, on the grounds that they all have experience of presenting staff opinions to senior managers.
One of the Forum's main objectives is to allow BBC management to hear staff concerns directly from workplace representatives, although it is not intended to be a negotiating body.
Since it was established three years ago, the Forum has been credited with influencing management thinking on the BBC's internal market, and was one of the pressure groups that encouraged the BBC to compromise over changes to the expenses system earlier this year.
In several constituencies, there is no need for an election because the number of nominations received exactly matches the number of vacancies. In areas where elections are being held, members and non-members alike are being asked to support union-endorsed candidates. (CD)