BBC Commonwealth Games strike cancelled amid new pay rise plan
A BBC strike organised for the first day of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games has been called off after the unions decided to put to the vote, a revised payment offer.
The BBC will cover the Games' opening ceremony
The new deal will now go to ballot for union members, who have been offered a 2.7 per cent wage increase, which is an improvement upon the one per cent increase employees were offered prior.
The consultative ballot on the new deal will run from 22 July and close at noon on Tuesday 5 August. Members of Bectu and Unite unions are also to be balloted.
The BBC, who announced the loss of 415 posts over two years on Wednesday, also said it will creating 195 new roles, resulting in a net reduction of 220 positons.
BBC correspondent James Cook tweeted the news on Friday afternoon.
Unions at the BBC have called off their strike which threatened the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. #Glasgow2014
— James Cook (@BBCJamesCook) July 18, 2014
Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, said the job cuts will "undermine the ability of journalists to deliver quality content".
She added that it was unacceptable that it planned to waste licence-fee payers' money to get rid of talented staff while creating new jobs for their cronies.
The BBC has struggle financially since the licence fee was frozen in 2010.