BBC disrupted as NUJ strike over pensions
Article published: Sunday, November 7th 2010
BBC services in Greater Manchester were disrupted as the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) conducted a 48-hour strike over pensions reforms which they say will cause members to lose tens of thousands of pounds.
Television, radio and online news content almost came to a standstill on the 5 and 6 November as journalists from the NUJ refused to go to work and manned picket lines at the BBC building on Oxford Road throughout the day.
Flagship TV news show North West Tonight was reduced from its normal 30 minute slot to a 5 minute bulletin as presenter Gordon Burns stayed off air, with senior editors forced to fill in. On radio Allan Beswick was absent from his Breakfast Show and no online reporters went to work.
NUJ representatives at the BBC estimated that around 80 of its members did not go to work over the two-day period, or around 90 per cent of the workforce of journalists.
The NUJ balloted nationally for a rolling strike due to changes in pensions which the corporation is trying to force through. The final salary pension scheme was closed to new members two years ago and strikers say the changes proposed will bring an end for those who are currently on it.
BBC management say it is necessary to reform the current system in order to tackle a deficit in the fund estimated at £2bn – a figure contested by the NUJ, who are calling on the corporation to delay negotiations until the triennial valuation of the fund is reported next June.
Mat Trewern, joint representative for Manchester BBC Chapel told MULE: “The changes are based on a deficit figure of around £2bn, which derives from a period during the Credit Crunch when the stock market was at its lowest. It already appears that the figure is now somewhere around the £1bn mark.
“Even the pension trustees – an independent body who manage the fund – have come out and said that they were not consulted by the BBC.
“We are saying as a trade union that you don’t have to do this now. Let’s be sensible about it and wait until the valuation report is out. We know that there has to be reform of pensions, but it should be based on real figures.”
Other NUJ members present at the picket voiced their belief that the BBC deliberately tried to rush the reform through before the triennial evaluation could take place.
One member said: “When I entered my details into the pension calculator under the initial proposals, it said that I would lose 50 per cent of what I had been originally promised. Under the current proposals I will still lose around 30-40 per cent.”
A BBC spokesperson said of the strikes: “It is the public who lose out and we apologise to our audience for any disruption to services.”
In an internal email leaked this week Director-General Mark Thompson criticised the strikers, saying: “[W]hile I recognise the legal right of NUJ members to go on strike, I also feel obliged to say that I cannot see what earthly good such action is going to achieve. They may manage to take some output off the air or lower its quality. But strikes aren’t going to reduce the pension deficit or make the need for radical pension reform go away.”
He added that “I believe that the package on pension reform which we have arrived at is a fair one.”
Picketers however questioned this idea of ‘fairness’. Countering the myth of ‘gold-plated’ BBC pensions, Mat Trewern said this distorted image was created due to a minority of high-earners.
“The average pension for a journalist is £13,000 per year. While we are not the worst paid this is nothing like those of the people at the top carrying out the changes, who in their retirement will receive up to £200,000. Unfortunately because of the disgusting amounts of money our executive and some of the big names like Jonathon Ross get, it gives the impression that pay is extremely favourable for all of us in the BBC.
“But it is important to remember that the people at the bottom and in the middle who are doing the job aren’t receiving anything near that.”
Frustration has been compounded by reports that Deputy Director-General Mark Byford would receive a £1m payout and around £400,000 in pension as part of a voluntary redundancy package.
NUJ officials are now calling on the BBC to return to the negotiations table. Meanwhile BECTU, the largest union at the BBC and which represents technicians and production staff, reiterated that its acceptance of the proposals was conditional on the BBC improving the terms should the deficit prove to be less than £1.5bn. Otherwise it will ballot for industrial action.
In addition to the next round of strikes planned for the 15 and 16 November, NUJ members will now be observing a work-to-rule action – meaning they will perform no unpaid overtime work or voluntary ‘acting up’, where they temporarily fill in other roles such as editor or in production.
While the other four unions have accepted the BBC’s latest offer, there was support forthcoming from their members.
Michelle Adamson, joint representative of the Manchester BBC Chapel said: “We have had strong support from many staff not in the NUJ. Some members of other unions did not go into work, as did many of the presenters.”
Michael Pooler
More: Manchester
Comments
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If these staff want gold plated pensions when they retire they should pay for them by higher contributions from their wages and a later retirement age.
How arrogant and out of touch these strikers are to expect the general population to pay for their wonderful pensions. Compared to most BBC staff, most people can expect lower earnings and a very modest pension, yet these selfish BBC staff expect these very people to pay for their fantastic pensions!
Comment by simon on November 9, 2010 at 8:22 pm -
Another brilliant contribution from serial bullshit merchant Simon.
Comment by Dave on November 12, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Wouldn’t you rather post on the Daily Mail website? -
Well Dave, your contribution isn’t that brilliant. You haven’t even mentioned the topic of the article!
BBC journalists are well paid with public money. By most peoples standards they will still have a superb pension scheme even after the revisions to it.
These strikers are saying that they want a fantastically generous pension and they expect the public to fund it.
Dave, you admire and support this attitude if you want to.To me is just selfishness.
Comment by simon on November 14, 2010 at 4:53 pm -
me smells a troll
Comment by Withingtonian on November 15, 2010 at 1:39 am
The comments are closed.
