Informed 12


News Update


BBC strike looms over job cuts


BBC reps are gearing up for a ballot for industrial action over compulsory redundancies, with former Inside Out staff and a member in BBC Scotland set to leave the corporation in April. Most of the job cuts so far implemented


have been achieved through voluntary redundancy, but about a dozen members from Inside Out have not been redeployed, despite there being 17 vacancies advertised for the current affairs strand’s successor. Paul Siegert, national broadcasting organiser, is continuing talks with management. Te corporation has a new chair of the


board, Richard Sharp, who admited donating £400,000 to the Tory party and said he would donate his £180,000 salary to charity. Meanwhile, the government has dropped its plan to decriminalise TV licence evasion, which would have cost the BBC hundreds of millions of pounds. Tere are more BBC cuts to come and, since staff will not be offered a pay rise in 2021, the union is in talks about pay progression. ITV gave staff a one-off £750 payment in lieu of an


BBC


less than €40,000 will be exempt from the cuts, which will be restored aſter two years. Union recognition talks at Iran


annual rise. ITN’s profits have fallen by about £2m for 2020 compared to 2019, a pay rise seems unlikely but members have agreed to a new deal comprising a shorter working week and the right to claim overtime. Meanwhile, broadcasting staff at the BBC, ITV and Sky are being given voluntary lateral flow tests for Covid-19. Members at RTÉ are preparing to


ballot on a set of temporary measures by management to save €4m, on top of a projected saving of €4m from a voluntary redundancy programme. Te proposals emerged from talks between RTÉ and the Group of Unions. Workers earning


International grind on and, while the end may be near, victimisation of members has continued and the union is taking the broadcaster to an employment tribunal over the victimisation and redundancy of its former FoC. Ofcom has revoked the UK licence of the China’s state-owned broadcaster China Global Television Network (CGTN) because its editorial was “ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which is not permited under UK broadcasting law”. Te Chinese government retaliated by banning BBC World News from broadcasting in China. Michelle Stanistreet called on the international community to condemn the move and support the BBC. Beter news came for some BBC members when the government revoked a cap of £95,000 exit payments on public sector workers.


General Secretary election


Applications for the post of NUJ general secretary are open. Te post is subject to election by ballot of the NUJ membership every five years. It is a full-time post based at the London head office. Te union is operating a four-day week until the end of September 2021, when it will return to five days. Te application form and terms and conditions of employment can be obtained


from personnel@nuj.org. uk. Te closing date is noon, Monday 3 May. Te post is advertised in Te Journalist and on the website.


Card cachet Increased applications for membership have resulted from the UK press card being seen as a must-have item during Covid-19 restrictions, with some anti-lockdown protesters atempting to pass themselves off as the press with fake cards.


Te union has notified the police. Branches were asked to remain vigilant when agreeing applications. Press card holders were told to use them only during news gathering otherwise they will be cancelled.


LDRs recognised Local Democracy Reporters working for JPI Media have won union recognition for collective bargaining, following suit with LDR colleagues working for


Newsquest. Laura Davison, national organiser, said: “I’m really pleased that recognition has been agreed and congratulate our reps and members on their achievement.”


Scotish u-turn Lobbying by the NUJ and others forced the Scotish government into a u-turn on excluding newspapers from non domestic rates relief when it lost a forced vote in Parliament.


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