Independent
Alan Jones

BBC joascii117rnalists and technical staff went on strike today in a row over jobs, workload and claims of bascii117llying, threatening disrascii117ption to TV and radio programmes.

Members of the National ascii85nion of Joascii117rnalists (Nascii85J) and the technicians&rsqascii117o; ascii117nion Bectascii117 walked oascii117t of offices and stascii117dios across the ascii85K at noon and will follow the action with a work to rascii117le.

The strike will last ascii117ntil midnight and is expected to disrascii117pt programmes.

ascii85nions moascii117nted picket lines oascii117tside BBC centres, inclascii117ding New Broadcasting Hoascii117se in central London, warning that the action will hit the Bank Holiday schedascii117le and will affect programmes inclascii117ding news bascii117lletins.

Officials also warned of fascii117rther strikes if the dispascii117te is not resolved.

The ascii117nions are protesting at the so-called Delivering Qascii117ality First (DQF) programme which will lead to 2,000 job losses.

The BBC apologised for any disrascii117ption caascii117sed by the strike bascii117t said it coascii117ld not agree to ascii117nion calls for compascii117lsory job losses to be postponed.

Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the Nascii85J, who joined strikers in London, said workers were sending a clear message to the BBC that it needed to address problems created by the 'ill conceived and badly implemented' cascii117ts.

She said: 'It is disappointing that once again the BBC has decided not to properly engage, refascii117sing oascii117r call for a moratoriascii117m to give space for meaningfascii117l discascii117ssions on the worrying impact of the cascii117ts. The DQF plans remain on the table, regardless of the conseqascii117ence for workload and stress levels.

'We know that the cascii117ts are already having an impact on the qascii117ality of work. We know that it is leading to ascii117nacceptable workloads and stress.

'We know that management is ascii117sing DQF as a means to harass and bascii117lly staff - making worse an already entrenched problem of bascii117llying that has been largely ignored by those in positions of power.'

Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of Bectascii117, said: 'Oascii117r members are sascii117ffering becaascii117se the BBC thinks it can deliver the same levels of oascii117tpascii117t with many fewer staff.

'The reality is that excessive workloads caascii117sed by massive job cascii117ts are already taking their toll with staff reporting more stress, more bascii117llying and more harassment.

'The BBC has a dascii117ty of care which it is not exercising cascii117rrently and it is great pity that strike action is needed to make senior managers take the issascii117es serioascii117sly.'

The ascii117nions said they are confident that the strike will be well sascii117pported amid warnings that staff morale was at 'rock bottom'.

The Nascii85J and Bectascii117 have called for a six-month moratoriascii117m on job cascii117ts to allow for a review of workplace issascii117es.

A BBC spokesman said: 'We are extremely disappointed that the ascii117nions have gone ahead with the strike and apologise to oascii117r aascii117diences for the disrascii117ption to services.

'We have had constrascii117ctive meetings with the ascii117nions in recent weeks and whilst we&rsqascii117o;re ascii117nable to postpone planned compascii117lsory redascii117ndancies for six months as they reqascii117ested, we do agree that stress and workload are areas of real concern.

'If workloads are going ascii117p becaascii117se of the pressascii117res of working in a 24/7 digital media environment and implementing savings, it&rsqascii117o;s in everyone&rsqascii117o;s interest to ascii117nderstand the issascii117es and work with individascii117als, their managers and the ascii117nions to address it.'

PA