In ballots which closed at lunchtime today more than 90 per cent of the members of the BBC’s three main unions - BECTU, NUJ and Unite - have supported calls both for strike action and for action short of strike in opposition to the corporation’s plans for drastic cuts to staff pensions. BBC management say the changes are needed to try to tackle a huge pension deficit of more than £1.5 billion.
Joint union representatives from the across the country met in London this afternoon to consider the ballot results and to receive a briefing on the talks which continued with BBC management during August. As a result of this briefing, union representatives have decided that those talks should continue until mid-September when the BBC has said it will table alternative proposals. Any announcement on strike dates will be deferred until that time.
(Source: BECTU, NUJ and Unite)
on Sep 2nd, 2010 at 20:41
Will the strike affect the World Service, as well?
on Sep 2nd, 2010 at 21:52
A lot of broadcasting company pension schemes are going that way where employees are either being forced into paying more in and getting less back in retirement or in the case of some schemes are being put thru the stockmarkets and due to the fluctuations in them,you get either a very good pension payout or a extremely poor pension payout in retirement. The schemes should reward the people who work in the various organisations with good payouts on retirement not worthless inadequate retirement pensions that ensure a poor standard of life after work.
on Sep 3rd, 2010 at 10:38
If the strike goes ahead - and that’s by no means certain as talks are continuing - I would expect all parts of the BBC, including the World Service, to be affected.