Tag Archives: bbc cuts

Guardian: Hundreds of jobs at risk at BBC World Service

Director of BBC Global News Peter Horrocks has warned that hundreds of jobs will “need to go” at the World Service following government funding cuts, the Media Guardian reported yesterday.

Horrocks told MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee that the World Service would propose the closure of some foreign-language broadcasts in the face of the cuts, the report adds.

“We are a very staff-heavy organisation, most of our costs are in people,” Horrocks told MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee. “So the reduction in staff numbers will be broadly in line with the level of savings that we need to make, ie more than 16 per cent. Our staffing is 2,000 so you can work it out relatively straightforwardly. It will be hundreds of jobs that need to go.”

BECTU members apply to NUJ in order to join BBC strikes

Leading activists from the media and entertainment union Bectu have decided to leave and instead apply to join the National Union of Journalists so they can take part in planned strike action at the BBC over pensions, according to the Workers United trade union blog.

The four – until today members of the BECTU audio and music branch committee – explained their decision to colleagues across the corporation in a 1,500 word email.

Journalism.co.uk reported last week that members at BBC staff unions, except for the NUJ, had voted as a majority to accept the latest proposals. The NUJ’s members however voted to reject the proposals and as a result fresh strike dates were set. The first 48-hour walkout is due to start on Friday.

Hatip: Jon Slattery

Details of BBC funding cuts leaked ahead of spending review

A formal announcement is expected to be made later today in George Osbourne’s comprehensive spending review outlining the changes the government has made to BBC funding. But details of the plans have already been widely reported: the BBC itself reports that the broadcaster is set to have its licence fee frozen for the next six years, will have to take on the cost of its World Service and fund the Welsh language channel S4C.

Last month Journalism.co.uk reported that the World Service, which is currently funded by the Foreign Office, was understood to be facing ‘significant cuts’ as part of the review.

News that the corporation would have to pay for the World Service was met with concern yesterday from the National Union of Journalists, which claimed Macedonian, Serbian, Vietnamese and Moldovan language services could close, or be “drastically cut” as a result.

The union also said it also fears job losses at the BBC World Service newsroom in London, the Turkish TV service, the Central Asian and Bengali services, the Spanish American service and the Arabic service. Job cuts could also impact on up to 350 jobs at the BBC Monitoring Service in Caversham, the union added. In a release from the NUJ, general secretary Jeremy Dear said:

The World Service is a vital source of quality journalism; people all over the world rely on the BBC to tell them the truth in times of crisis. If the Government slashes these essential services they will land a blow on objective news reporting and undermine Britain’s international reputation.

According to a report from the Telegraph the BBC has also “extracted a commitment from the BBC to spend less on its website”.

For more information on how news organisations will be covering the spending review today, see this post from Journalism.co.uk.

BBC staff unions to hold meetings on scheduled strike dates

As the new ballot on BBC pensions continues this week staff unions will be holding meetings to allow members of Bectu, the NUJ and Unite to put further questions to union officials.

The first takes place today (Tuesday 19 October) from 1pm to 2pm at the Think Tank, at the BBC’s Media Centre in White City and the second is scheduled for tomorrow, also from 1pm to 2pm, this time in the Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House, Bectu reported this week.

The unions opened a new consultative ballot last week following another offer from the BBC, which halted strikes planned for 5 and 6 October. The National Union of Journalists has since announced that two more planned strike dates, previously scheduled for today and tomorrow, would be postponed to enable a ballot to be carried out, which will close on 28 October.

A 24 hour ‘work to rule’ will take place however on Friday and additional strike dates may be named if the ballot records a no vote.

BBC unions prepare staff for strike action

BBC staff unions have posted a series of questions and answers for staff in preparation for potential strikes over pension proposals, which could start next week if an agreement cannot be reached.

Last week union members voted in rejection of new proposals put forward by the BBC earlier this month and the union said it will now “press ahead” with its plans, while maintaining negotiations.

The NUJ and BECTU have published a Q&A for members about the strikes. In their responses they say that, “in the absence of a significant new offer from the BBC”, strike action will commence at 00.01am on 5 October and end at 23.59pm on 6 October, which will coincide with the Conservative Party conference.

A final decision on strike action is expected to be announced on Friday.

This week it was also announced that the NUJ’s general secretary Jeremy Dear will be speaking at a Coalition of Resistance protest against government spending cuts outside Downing Street on 20 October, another date earmarked for strike action at the BBC.

BBC pensions update – strike ballot result expected today

BBC staff unions are expected to announce the result of a ballot for strike action later today, following pension proposals put forward by the broadcaster in June which could see the introduction of a one per cent cap on increases in pensionable salary and the closure of the final-salary scheme to new joiners.

In a blog post, NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear says the union expects the results to show “a massive vote in favour of action”.

He adds that an announcement is expected to be made between 3:30pm and 4:00pm today. The BBC previously told Journalism.co.uk it would be making further proposals at the beginning of September following the backlash from its initial suggestions. Its 90-day consultation period closes later this month.

More to follow later this afternoon.

NUJ Release: Thousands of BBC journalists to strike over compulsory redundancy risk

“Thousands of journalists at the BBC are to hold two national one-day strikes against compulsory redundancies,” the National Union of Journalists reports.

The focus is on cuts at the World Service’s South Asian section where up to 20 positions are at risk of being cut.

“NUJ members at the corporation voted 77 percent in favour of strike action in a national ballot,” the release said.

A motion was passed declaring that industrial action will take place on Friday 3 April and Thursday 9 April  ‘in the event that further talks fail to resolve the issue’.

Full release at this link…