BECTU Slams BBC Bosses' Bonus

A top broadcast union boss has criticised BBC executives who opted to take their annual bonuses in a year when some 2,000 staff are losing their jobs.
BECTU General Secretary Gerry Morrissey said: "Despite the substantial upheaval and upset which BBC staff have had to endure in the past year with the loss of almost 2,000 jobs, it is astonishing that executive directors, who are already paid handsomely, should choose to take their bonuses.
"Thousands of BBC staff are being forced into making life-changing decisions about their futures whilst the people at the top continue to feather their nests," Mr Morrissey continued, noting that Mark Thompson, BBC Director General, was alone in declining his bonus for 2007/8.
The union executive was commenting after the BBC's annual report was published today, (8 July 2008).
In assessing the BBC's Annual Report, BECTU also questioned whether the Director-General's defence of executive pay rises is justified given the 20% cut in BBC staff numbers since 2005.
"We have to ask whether these rises can be justified at a time when the BBC is losing a substantial number of jobs - 4,000 since 2005.
"There are definitely fewer people to manage and where staff are being asked to tighten their belts we expect the same discipline from management," argued BECTU Assistant General Secretary, Luke Crawley.
(BMcC)