LONDON RESOURCES STRIKE AT BBC

BECTU say that hundreds of members in BBC London Resources responded to the call for 24-hour stoppage on Saturday December 2.
The members are involved in a dispute over cuts in jobs and pay which affects BBC London Studios, Post-Production and Graphics, Radio and TV Outside Broadcasts.
Union representatives reported that members in all areas of London refused to report for work on December 2, and the programme-making activity was significantly reduced. The action, which ran until midnight December 2, will be followed by a one-week work-to-rule by union members in London Operations.
BECTU say that BBC managers were forced to shift some work, notably editing for ‘Match of the Day,’ to BBC regional centres that were not involved in the dispute.
Late on the evening before the stoppage the BBC were still trying to hire freelancers to cover for striking staff, but met more difficulty because all freelance members of BECTU had been warned in advance about the stoppage.
Other members in the BBC not affected by the strike, were advised by the union to work normally, but to carry out only their own work. However BECTU have pledged to defend any members who chose not to cross the picket lines at Television Centre and the Kendal Avenue OB base.
(CD)