Tag Archives: BECTU

BBC ‘not expecting any disruption’ during World Service weekend strike

Leave a reply

Picture: copyright BBC

Following a ballot of members, media and entertainment union Bectu has announced that some staff working in the BBC World Service’s network operations will strike for 30 hours this weekend.

Journalists are not taking industrial action.

Bectu warned that “output is set be hit” by the strike but the BBC has this afternoon issued a statement to say it is “not expecting any disruption to World Service programming”.

The union’s dispute with the BBC centres on the corporation’s refusal to allow around 15 staff to join a final salary pension scheme following their transfer of employment from a private company, Babcock Communications Ltd, to the BBC late last year.

Bectu feels demands should be met because it claims some of the staff involved were allowed to keep a final salary scheme when they transferred to Babcock Communications following the privatisation of World Service Transmission Operations in 1997.

Bectu supervisory official Helen Ryan said in a statement:

This is a classic case of staff pension provision being disrupted by contracting out. When these staff were transferred out of the BBC in 1997, the BBC backed their demands for continuing membership of a final salary scheme.

Now, 15 years on, the BBC wants to wash its hands of its responsibilities to deal with the disruption to pension provision which these staff face.

The BBC has said in a statement:

We are disappointed that Bectu members have opted to take strike action … we have only allowed access to whatever pension scheme was open to new entrants at the time.

It would set an unsustainable precedent to allow people transferring into the BBC to enter pension schemes that are now closed to new members.

The industrial action will take place between 3pm on Sunday (15 April) and 9pm the following day. The staff involved route programmes to transmitters around the world.

Unions jointly submit pay claim for BBC staff

Leave a reply

The National Union of Journalists, Bectu and Unite have jointly issued a pay claim for BBC staff for 2012 to 2013, which according to union statements, asks for a rise “of RPI plus two per cent, with a minimum increase of £1,000”.

The NUJ says this would apply to BBC staff in bands two to 11. In a statement the NUJ’s broadcasting organiser Sue Harris said they consider it “a fair claim”.

According to the unions the claim “also seeks the reinstatement of a previous right for staff to lodge pay appeals” and “encourages BBC management to agree to the inclusion of elected staff representatives on the Executive Remuneration Committee”.

Read more on the pay claim on the NUJ and Bectu websites.

BECTU members at the BBC accept 2% pay offer

Leave a reply

Members of broadcast network BECTU at the BBC have voted to accept a 2 per cent pay increase.

Two thirds of union members balloted voted in favour of accepting the offer, with the ballot closing at 12pm today.

The ballot result applies to BECTU members employed by BBC and by Studios and Post Production Ltd.

The BBC made the offer during talks with the union at the end of last month.

BECTU statement at this link.

Union seeks ‘substantial’ above-inflation pay rise for BBC staff

Leave a reply

Media union BECTU is seeking “a substantial rise above inflation” for BBC staff following two years of below-inflation settlements.

Pay talks for the 2011 agreement got underway this week, BECTU said in a release.

According to the union, the the 2010 agreement was reached on a flat rate increase of £475 for all staff paid up to £37,726 a year. In 2009 all staff paid up to £60,000 a year received a rise of £450.

“The rising costs of travel, food, fuel and the impact of the vat increase, set against a period of two years of below-inflation increases and rising pension costs, mean that staff pay at the BBC has regressed,” BECTU general secretary, Gerry Morrissey, said in the statement.

The BBC is due to respond in May when they officials will again meet with BBC management.

BECTU calls on members to take action over BSkyB takeover bid

Leave a reply

Media and entertainment union BECTU is calling on its members to ask their MPs to support the referral of News Corp’s BSkyB bid to the competition commission.

“Action is easy and takes a matter of minutes. Visit 38 Degrees and enter your postcode to email your MP directly. If you have yet to sign the petition please do so now,” says a release from the union.

BECTU assistant general secretary, Luke Crawley adds: “Once the referral is secured, BECTU will continue its support for the campaign against the takeover which threatens to narrow the range of voices and opinion expressed in the UK’s media.”

The union has also called on culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is responsible for making a decision over the bid, to publish Ofcom’s report into the proposals, which was delivered to his department on the 31 December.

Speaking at London School of Economics last week, Hunt refused to comment on process or when a decision would be arrived at. He also declined to reveal when the Ofcom report would be published. His appearance at the university was interrupted by a demonstration over the bid.

Representatives from BECTU attended a meeting about the bid and media ownership at the House of Commons last week. Speaking at the meeting, Lord Razzall said that “all hell will break loose” if Hunt were to ignore a recommendation from Ofcom to refer the bid to the competition commission.

BECTU members apply to NUJ in order to join BBC strikes

Leave a reply

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

BBC staff unions to hold meetings on scheduled strike dates

Leave a reply

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

Leave a reply

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.

Round-up: Ofcom’s public service broadcasting review and ITV regional news cuts

Leave a reply

The verdicts are in on Ofcom’s second public service broadcasting review, which gives ITV the go ahead to cut its regional news programming to save money.

Broadcasting union BECTU has criticised the move for ‘betraying regional news audiences’ and causing 100s of jobs losses.

“OFCOM’s decision to give ITV the go ahead to cut regional news services by half, is further evidence, says BECTU, of the regulator dancing to the tune of ITV and its shareholders,” said the union in a press statement.

The National Union for Journalists (NUJ) has also raised concerns over the decision, describing it as a sign of Ofcom’s failure to stand up for the public interest.

“Today’s announcement signals a regulator that has failed in its remit and is intent on presiding over the decline and eventual death of local and regional news on the ITV network. All in all a dismal day for supporters of plurality and quality regional programming,” reads a post on the union’s Save The ITV News campaign blog.

Both the unions claim research conducted by the regulator, and announced in a release accompanying the review, contradicts the ITV decision. The key findings of the research, according to Ofcom, suggested that:

  • 9 out of 10 people do not want the BBC to be the only provider of public service content in the future
  • a majority of people want ITV1 to continue to provide regions and nations news to complement the BBC

According to a report by MediaGuardian, 500 jobs could be cut from the broadcaster’s regional news operations as part of the changes.

paidContent:UK dissects the review on a different level flagging up the regulator’s calls for more links to public service content on websites.

“This might include new online tools that help people ‘bump into’ new websites which otherwise they might not have found, along the lines of stumbleupon.com or last.fm, with a public service perspective,” the review says.

Today’s review will be subject to a consultation period, ending on December 4, the results of which will be published in early 2009.