ONE-DAY STRIKE CALLED AT BBC RESOURCES

A ONE-DAY strike of BECTU members has been called at BBC London Resources on Saturday, December 2.
The stoppage, a protest against job cuts and reductions in pay, is part of a week of action by BECTU members in television studios, post-production and graphics and outside broadcasts.
A ballot, which closed on November 17, produced a majority of 74 per cent in favour of strike action in an effort to win changes in a £12 million cuts package planned by the BBC. London operations, part of BBC Resources Limited has been set new profit targets as part of Director-General Greg Dyke’s drive to find funding for new broadcast and online services.
Members in the department will be instructed to withdraw their labour for 24-hours from midnight on Friday, December 1. Many programmes due to be transmitted on Saturday are likely to be hit by the action.
In a week of action, until midnight on December 8, members will ‘work to rule’ by refusing to work more than 12 hours in any turn of duty, and insisting on breaks of at least 11 hours between separate duties. Instead of travelling directly to locations or other buildings members will report to their base buildings at the start of duty even if they are scheduled to work elsewhere. Staff will be instructed to decline to act up on behalf of absent supervisors on an ad hoc intermittent basis, and will refuse to accept changes in schedules unless they are made in writing.
The work to rule is intended to highlight the strength of feeling among members over changes to scheduling agreements and other aspects of conditions of service which could cost staff hundreds or even thousands or pounds each year.
In addition to cuts in earnings, London operations management have also announced compulsory redundancies. Some 50 staff will be dismissed, most of them in Studio Management and Manchester OB’s. Although this figure is well below the original target of more than 260 cuts, the union remains concerned that so many staff will be dismissed unwillingly.
Under the BBC proposals, changes in terms and conditions are due to take effect on January 1, 2001, followed by most of the job cuts by March 31.
Industrial action has been called well before these dates because, under UK labour laws, strikes and other sanctions must be held within 28 days’ with notice of the postal ballot given to the employer within seven days.
The union has indicated that it would be willing to resume talks on the savings package if management at BBC tabled a significant new offer, however BECTU state the BBC have not made a formal approach.
The BBC said they were very disappointed at the strike action, which they said had followed lengthy negotiations with BECTU.
The BBC have been set the challenge of raising over £1 billion in extra revenue for extra programming which they say may be jeopardised by the strike action at BBC Resources.
(CMcL)