BBC negotiations begin
Talks have begun today at the industrial conciliation service Acas in the hope of preventing further strikes at the BBC.
The meeting follows Monday’s strikes, which disrupted many live television and radio broadcasts.
The parties will meet to discuss the BBC’s large-scale redundancy plans and Acas representatives will be present to try to avert further strikes planned for Tuesday May 31 and Wednesday June 1.
The process seemed to reach a deadlock earlier this week as the three unions involved – Bectu, Amicus and the National Union of Journalists – said that they would require significant concessions if the strikes were to be averted.
However, until now the BBC’s director general Mark Thompson, who drew up the original cost cutting plans, has refused to guarantee there would be no compulsory redundancies.
Bectu assistant general secretary Gerry Morrissey summed up the situation: “We welcome the invitation to talks at Acas. Clearly the BBC would not have agreed to go unless they were prepared to negotiate.
“We’re expecting some kind of compromise from the BBC, but can’t predict at this stage whether it will be enough to settle the dispute.”
The two parties are currently locked in a dispute over job cuts, which will see about 4,000 permanent contracts terminated over the next three years.
The BBC claims that the cuts are needed for the corporation to work effectively in the age of digital broadcasting. Unions however are concerned that the redundancies will put too much pressure on the remaining staff.
