BBC offers meeting with unions to clarify position

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson has today written to union officials offering a meeting to clarify the offer made to them at ACAS last week and to discuss any further concerns.
"We have a shared interest in resolving the dispute promptly and working together to build a strong and independent BBC," said Mr Thompson in a letter sent jointly to leaders of the NUJ, Bectu and Amicus. "I believe that this offer represents a significant movement by the BBC to meet the concerns you have raised with us about the change programme," he said.
"Unfortunately, we simply do not have any further movement to make on the offer we tabled at ACAS and to suggest otherwise would be disingenuous.
"Although we want to minimise compulsory redundancies as far as possible, the BBC cannot give a blanket commitment to no compulsory redundancies given the sale and scope of the divisional change plans. No organisation could."
The main elements of the offer tabled at ACAS are: a freeze on compulsory redundancies until 1 July 2006; a review in two years to see if reinvestment in content areas can mitigate the net job losses; no sale of BBC Resources before June 1 2007; a commitment to ensure people and HR issues are a top priority in the sale of BBC Broadcast.
In the letter Mr Thompson said it would be useful to meet, both to clarify aspects of the offer and to discuss ways in which the BBC can use existing agreed procedures to further reassure the trades unions and their members about remaining concerns.
He added that one idea underpinning the offer was full co-operation of the unions in the early stages of the change programme to mitigate net job losses in the third year of the plan and to minimise compulsory redundancies.
"You will understand that without your co-operation, the assurances contained within the ACAS offer would have to be withdrawn as the freeze on compulsory redundancies until July 1 2006 is only achievable if we can canvass for voluntary redundancies immediately.
"Further delay would put our savings plans at risk and impede the reinvestment of savings into new programmes and services, which is in the interests of licence payers and BBC staff alike."
It is anticipated that the meeting will take place some time next week.
(GB)