06 Informed


News Update


BBC T&Cs roll-out BBC


BBC reps frustrated by the pace and nature of the newly-agreed terms and conditions package, including new rotas, voted to demand the BBC management accelerates the delivery of its promises to change the corporation’s culture and new ways of working.


Te NUJ is also in talks with management about the roll-out of £40m cuts in its news budget and the union has pressed for no compulsory redundancies and an effective redeployment process. Te ACAS-chaired independent


working group assessing weekend working is to wind up later this month. If there is no agreement, the issue will move to binding arbitration. Te working party on night working has also begun, again chaired by ACAS. Michelle Stanistreet said: “Te NUJ made it clear to the BBC that the T&C changes hinged on geting the implementation right and a demonstration that cultural change was happening – and they are failing to get this right.” Tere are still many outstanding equal-pay cases and while setlements continue to be made, some are now moving into the tribunal process. Te union responded favourably to a report by the DCMS select commitee which


Broadcasting News


ITV & ITN: Members at ITV agreed a pay offer of 2.5 per cent and an increase in the redundancy cap from £45,000 to £50,000. However, discussions continue on unpopular changes to bank holiday working arrangements,


BBC News faces £40m more cuts


chastised the BBC for not admiting its failure to comply with equal pay law and for not seting up greater transparency in pay. A review of the role of the NUJ’s BBC secondees has started, and an information session is planned for reps keen to find out more about what’s involved in the roles. Te NEC gave thanks to Tory Blair and Keith Murray, who will remain in new roles at the BBC, and Paul Siegert for all their work on behalf of the union. Te BBC is highly rated for providing high-quality, trustworthy and accurate news, said a report by the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom. But, the regulator said, it needed to do more to represent all the UK population, improve its reach to young people and take more risks with original programming.


Government ‘must pay’


Te NUJ believes maintaining free TV licences for the over-75s, paid from the BBC licence-fee pot, would be catastrophic for the public service broadcaster. Te union told a BBC consultation about the future of the benefit that the government must pick up the cost of what is a welfare benefit. Te corporation agreed to take on the payment during the last charter renewal process. It has now launched a consultation and announced the cost of taking on the fees will be more than £1billion by the end of the next decade.


Te union’s Welsh Executive Council has put in a separate submission pointing out the possible consequences for S4C. Te Welsh- language channel will lose its grant from the Westminster government in 2023 and funding will come almost fully from licence fees. A cash- strapped BBC will inevitably have consequences for the future funding of S4C. Michelle Stanistreet said the BBC


would be seen as “an axe-wielding bogeyman” if the benefit was cut.


including moving to full news programmes on bank holidays, rather than shortened bulletins. Aſter interventions from the joint unions, the proposed changes to annual leave at ITN – a move from a day to an hours system for staff – was withdrawn by the company. Sky: FEU union general secretaries who met


Comcast executives in late October reported the mood was less positive than some previous meetings. However the unions are continuing to push for an access agreement and the leafleting at the Osterley site continues, despite opposition from some Sky executives.


Iran International: Recruitment and organisation at the channel is going well, with a well- atended second social held in November. Te general secretary has sought a meeting with the company to discuss recognition and the union’s work on safety issues affecting Iranian journalists working in the UK.


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