VOTE REVEALS SUPPORT FOR ACTION ON BBC EXPENSES

FOUR out of five BECTU members will support industrial action against new BBC expenses rules.
In a ballot of over 6,000 members affected by the controversial change in expenses payments, 85 per cent of participants voted for a work-to-rule, while 60 per cent supported full-blown strike action.
BECTU are now planning to give the BBC seven days notice of industrial action which is likely to include an instruction for members to insist on at least one hour for lunch breaks away from base.
Other measures which may feature in the work-to-rule are a ban on the use of private cars for BBC business, and an instruction for members to take meals at their home base if they are on locations less than five miles away.
The industrial action ballot came after the BBC imposed new expenses rules without agreement on February 1. Although the Corporation had amended their original proposals for a new BBC-wide expenses regime after union protests, the rules introduced in February still left many staff out of pocket.
Allowances for lunches away from home base were scrapped, except where there was an ‘overriding operational need’, claims for evening meals could be made only when staff had worked more than 12 hours away from base, and a £55 cap was imposed on hotel claims. No meals can now be claimed within 5 miles of base.
In addition, areas of the BBC which have traditionally worked on a system of fixed scale rates for meals and overnights were forced to move to ‘capped actuality’ payments, even on occasions when this was inappropriate.
Union officials say that details of the planned work-to-rule will be sent to members in time for the action to start in the last week of February.
BBC Worldwide Ltd and the BBC's orchestras were not included in the ballot because they are planning to continue with their current arrangements, despite the Corporation's claim that the February changes were meant to harmonise expenses rules across the organisation. (CD)