UNITED KINGDOM: BBC journalists picket outside Television Centre in London as part of 48-hour strike over pensions

Record ID: 338758

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: BBC journalists picket outside Television Centre in London as part of 48-hour strike over pensions
  • Date: 6th November 2010
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 5, 2010) (REUTERS) GROUP OF BBC JOURNALISTS PICKETING OUTSIDE TELEVISION CENTRE BBC NEWS CENTRE CLOSE UP OF BBC SIGN BBC WORKERS CHANTING "WHAT DO WE WANT? FAIR PENSIONS. WHEN DO WE WANT IT - NOW." STEPHEN HENDRY, SENIOR PRODUCER BBC NEWS AND TV NEWSROOM FATHER OF CHAPEL FOR NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS (NUJ) LEADING CHANTING BBC WORKERS
  • Embargoed: 21st November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Social Services / Welfare
  • Reuters ID: LVACFQFH1YK8PGON81FO5FN1Y2PB
  • Story Text: Journalists at Britain's state-funded broadcaster on Friday began the first of two 48-hour strikes to protest against changes designed to fill the gap in the BBC's pension scheme.
    The broadcaster, a mainstay in British television and radio, was forced to transmit pre-recorded shows on several of its channels with Radio 4's flagship Today news programme among many cancelled bulletins.
    International BBC World Service radio programming was also affected.
    Domestically, the BBC is funded by a levy imposed on all households and its funding has been constrained by a government squeeze on public spending designed to rein in a record budget deficit.
    Members of the National Union of Journalists union (NUJ), which represents 4,100 of the publicly-funded corporation's 5,000 journalists rejected the BBC's latest pension offer and voted 70 percent in favour of strike action.
    Striking staff held small picket lines outside all the entrances to BBC buildings across the UK. At London's Television Centre, they were joined by NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear.
    "At the moment the proposals from the BBC would see people working longer, paying more and at the end of it receiving a lower pension. Whilst people are prepared to consider working longer or paying more they don't believe they should receive a lower pension for that," he said.
    The BBC wants to tackle a 1.5 billion pound ($2.42 billion) pension deficit by putting a cap on rises in pensionable pay at 1 percent after April.
    Members of BECTU, a union representing technical and production staff, accepted a revised offer from the BBC as part of the pension changes.
    Senior producer in the BBC Television newsroom, Stephen Hendry, who is also the newsroom's union representative said, "I am an ordinary working person, with a family and children to support...all I am doing is sticking up for my rights to have a pension that I can live on when I retire." He said all public sector workers should stand up for their rights as the government embarks on a massive public spending programme of cuts.
    In a letter to all BBC staff, Director-General of the BBC, Mark Thompson said the pension reforms were fair and "Will remain the BBC's final offer."
    "I cannot see what earthly good such action is going to achieve. They may manage to take some output off the air or lower its quality. But strikes aren't going to reduce the pension deficit or make the need for radical pension reform go away," he said in the emailed letter.
    The next 48-hour BBC strike is set for November 15 and 16.
    Separately, firefighters called off strike action planned for Friday -- when Britain commemorates, with bonfires and fireworks, the anniversary of a foiled 17th century plot by Guy Fawkes to blow up parliament -- after negotiations with management on Thursday.
    There are concerns that industrial unrest is building in Britain as deep spending cuts from the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, aimed at curbing a record peacetime budget deficit, start to set in.
    London's underground rail, or Tube, workers staged their third strike earlier this week, with another one planned at the end of the month and postal workers are currently balloting for strike action over the busy Christmas period.
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