NUJ ballot sees three quarters of voters agree to BBC News strike action
NUJ members have voted to strike in protest of BBC News redundancies after the union’s latest ballot gave overwhelming support for the action on Monday.
The BBC has announced £50m worth of cuts for its news department
Following a national ballot, 89.6 per cent of respondents settled on industrial action with 73.6 per cent choosing to strike against the corporation.
In July, NUJ members planned a strike to coincide with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games but were tabled an improved offer by the BBC - this offer was declined on Monday.
The union has called for BBC cuts to be focused on what it called “managerial excesses and waste” as an alternative to forcing redundancy packages on reporters and news staff.
Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, said: “NUJ members see this as a battle for the heart and soul of the BBC. Our members know that these cuts are being targeted in the wrong direction - instead of sorting out managerial excesses and waste, it is grassroots journalism and programming facing the axe.
“It will be impossible for journalists to produce quality journalism of the kind they strive to unless output is similarly hacked, without serious damage being done to our members’ health and wellbeing.
“This dispute can be sorted out easily if the BBC wants to, which is why we are seeking the intervention of the director general. If we cannot reach a sensible settlement NUJ members stand prepared to take strike action in the coming weeks and months in order to bring their campaign to the attention of the broader public.”
Stanistreet added that morale at the broadcaster is at a record low and one journalist described the atmosphere as one of “fear and loathing”. Additionally she said staff were being treated “appallingly” and in a “fundamentally inhumane” way.
The BECTU union, also representing BBC staff, held another ballot. Two thirds of voters chose some form of industrial action with 84 per cent of that number voting to strike.
Luke Crawley, assistant general secretary of BECTU, said: “Given that the BBC has over 470 volunteers for redundancy and 195 new posts to fill it would be easy to give us the guarantees we are seeking. The fact that management refuses to do so raise fears amongst staff that the BBC is not committed to redeploying the maximum number of staff.
“The BBC should realise that rather than making redundancy payments to people who want to continue working for the BBC, licence fee payers’ money should be saved by redeploying staff elsewhere in the corporation.”
A BBC spokesperson said: "BBC News has recently announced a savings programme of nearly £50 million to address pressures from the licence fee settlement.
“We are disappointed that the unions have chosen to ballot for industrial action when the consultation process has barely started."
As the corporation tightens its belt it emerged in July that 71 members of staff took home severance payments of £100,000 or over in 2013.