Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
05/11/2010

BBC Journalists On 48-Hour Strike

More than 4,000 BBC journalists have begun a 48-hour strike in a row over pension plan changes.
Members of the National Union of Journalists had voted in favour of the strike action after rejecting the BBC's latest pension proposals and further walk-outs are planned for November 15 and 16.
However, members of the broadcasting union BECTU, which includes technical and production staff, voted to accept the offer.
The NUJ has warned that most BBC radio and TV news programmes will either not be broadcast or will be severely disrupted.
Radio 4's Today programme was not on air this morning, Radio 3 had no breakfast show, some shows on Radio 5 Live have been replaced by recordings and news bulletins are not running on 6 Music.
A statement issued by the BBC said: "We are disappointed that the NUJ have gone ahead with today's industrial action. This is despite the other four unions accepting our revised offer and feedback from staff that indicates the same. It is the public who lose out and we apologise to our audience for any disruption to services."
As part of the action, NUJ members will also refuse to take on additional duties or volunteer for acting up duties as part of an indefinite work to rule.
BBC Director General Mark Thomspon sent an email to BBC staff warning that the strikes would not reduce the pension deficit or make the plans for reform go away.
However, NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear said: "NUJ members across the BBC have consistently dubbed the proposals a 'pensions robbery'. That hasn't changed. The BBC have now left members with no choice but to take action to defend their pensions."
Members of BECTU voted to accept the BBC's offer - the union said that members "have accepted that the BBC's offer is the best that can be achieved through negotiation".
The dispute was sparked over the BBC's plans to cap future increases in pensionable pay by 1% each year from next April, in order to reduce a £1.5 billion deficit.
However, the new offers sees the amount that employees would have to pay into the scheme being reduced from 7% to 6%. Employees would then receive a career-average benefit pension, which would be revalued by up to 4% each year, instead of the previous offer of 2.5%. Pension payments will also now automatically rise each year in line with inflation, also by up to 4%, instead of 2.5%.
However, BECTU warned that the dispute could resurface next year if the pension deficit turns out to be less than £1.5 billion.
Members of Unite, Equity and the Musicians' Union, whose members are also affected, have also voted to accept the BBC's offer.
(KMcA/GK)
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

21/03/2023
MwareTV To Offer A One-Stop Managed IPTV Service At NAB 2023
MwareTV is to show visitors to NAB2023 (booth W1367) how it can provide everything needed for a streaming television service in a single contract – fr
13/04/2016
Production News : Nominations Announced For RTS Scotland Awards 2016
The Royal Television Society (RTS) has announced the nominations for this year's RTS Scotland Awards 2016. The awards cover all forms of production in
06/02/2018
Nominations For RTS Television Journalism Awards 2018 Announced
The Royal Television Society (RTS) has announced the nominations for the RTS Television Journalism Awards 2018. The awards ceremony, sponsored by Gues
11/04/2017
RTS Announce Scotland Awards 2017
The Royal Television Society (RTS) has announced the nominations for the RTS Scotland Awards 2017. The awards cover all forms of production in Scotlan
02/10/2015
RTS North West Announce Awards Shortlist
The Royal Television Society (RTS) North West Centre has announced the shortlist for its annual awards at an event hosted by CBBC presenter Lauren Lay
29/09/2017
RTS Announces Nominations For North West Awards 2017
The Royal Television Society (RTS) North West Centre has announced the nominations for its annual awards, at an event sponsored by Audio Network. Cat
04/11/2014
Production News - RTS Announces Craft & Design Awards Shortlist
The Royal Television Society (RTS) has announced the shortlist for the RTS Craft & Design Awards 2013/2014. The winners will be announced at a ceremon
24/02/2023
Tierra Audio Announces Offer On New Twenties Microphone
Tierra Audio has launched a month-long campaign celebrating its newest microphone - New Twenties. New Twenties is a large diaphragm cardioid FET conde
21/05/2015
RTS Announces Winners Of Scotland Awards 2014
The Royal Television Society (RTS) has announced the winners of the RTS Scotland Awards 2014. Chaired by April Chamberlain, the awards cover all forms
08/06/2023
BBC Appoints Kerensa Samandis As General Manager For BBC iPlayer
The BBC has appointed Kerensa Samanidis as General Manager for BBC iPlayer. Kerensa joins from Channel 4 and will start the new role on 19 June. Repor
22/11/2023
BBC Two And BBC Music Announce Cher Meets Rylan
BBC Two and BBC Music will deliver a Christmas present to viewers in the festive form of Cher Meets Rylan in December, which sees legendary singer and
29/10/2010
Pensions Dispute Sparks Fresh BBC Strikes
BBC journalists are set to strike in a dispute over the corporation's pension scheme. Seventy per cent of the National Union of Journalists members re
12/04/2006
Strike threat over BBC pensions
Bectu officials have warned that the union will ballot for industrial action if the BBC makes radical changes to its pension scheme. Responding to pre
24/05/2002
BBC's business-to-business broadband capability launched
BBC Worldwide, the BBC’s main commercial arm, have launched BBC Preview – the first business-to-business broadband application that allows internation
21/04/2006
BBC announces pension changes
The BBC has announced that it is to close its final salary pension scheme to new members. The proposals announced by Director-General Mark Thompson wo