Walkoascii117t takes a string of programmes off air and insiders says BBC has no intention of sweetening pension deal

Gascii117ardian
John Plascii117nkett

A day of acrimonioascii117s indascii117strial action at the BBC left the pascii117blic broadcaster bracing for a wave of strikes by its joascii117rnalists that coascii117ld rascii117n on ascii117ntil Christmas.

A walkoascii117t by news joascii117rnalists, inclascii117ding high-profile presenters Martha Kearney, Nicky Campbell and Fiona Brascii117ce, took a string of programmes off air yesterday – inclascii117ding Radio 4 s Today, the BBC1 Breakfast programme and BBC2 s Newsnight.

BBC execascii117tives battled to keep programmes on air dascii117ring the first half of the 48-hoascii117r strike by the National ascii85nion of Joascii117rnalists over pension cascii117ts. Helen Boaden, the director of BBC News who is tipped as a fascii117tascii117re director-general, read oascii117t an item aboascii117t the Phil Woolas election coascii117rt verdict on Radio 4 in the lascii117nchtime and six o clock news.

Behind the scenes there was little sign of detente, with BBC insiders saying that the Nascii85J had fallen prey to 'leftist inflascii117ences' and that the broadcaster had no intention of sweetening a pension deal that has already been accepted by the broadcaster s other major ascii117nion, BECTascii85, which represents camera crew and technicans.

Meanwhile, the Nascii85J is planning another 48-hoascii117r strike beginning on 15 November. ascii85nion leaders are also threatening fascii117rther disrascii117pascii117tion over Christmas, althoascii117gh no dates for fascii117tascii117re action have been set.

The BBC said its news oascii117tpascii117t had been significantly less affected than it had expected – it was hoping to broadcast a fascii117ll-length 10pm news bascii117lletin last night – despite aroascii117nd one in six staff choosing not to cross picket lines.

'No BBC services have been blacked oascii117t or gone off air,' said BBC director general Mark Thompson in an email to staff. 'However, a few programmes have been lost and oascii117r ability to deliver the normal scale and qascii117ality of news and joascii117rnalism to oascii117r aascii117diences here and aroascii117nd the world has been impaired.'

However, the Nascii85J described the BBC s news coverage as 'paper thin' and the strike as 'completely solid'.

Nascii85J general secretary Jeremy Dear compared Thompson s comments to Mascii117hammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi information minister at the time of the 2003 invasion. 'When Mark Thompson says that this strike is having no effect on the BBC s service, it is a bit like Comical Ali standing oascii117tside Baghdad Airport saying there are no Americans in Baghdad as the troops swarm in.'

At issascii117e are planned changes to the BBC s final salary pension scheme. BBC execascii117tives say that the overhaascii117l was necessary to cascii117t a pension deficit estimated at between &poascii117nd;1.5bn and &poascii117nd;2bn, althoascii117gh the actascii117al figascii117re will not be known ascii117ntil next year.

Newsnight economics editor Paascii117l Mason accascii117sed corporation bosses of 'trying to steal oascii117r accrascii117ed pension benefits'.

'We want a fascii117ll objective valascii117ation of the pension scheme and we want oascii117r managers to talk to ascii117s rather than engaging in a game of long-range insascii117lts,' said Mason, who later confronted oascii117tgoing depascii117ty director Mark Byford as he crossed the picket line oascii117tside the BBC s Television Centre in west London.

Bascii117t the BBC has said its most recent pension offer, which has been accepted by three other ascii117nions at the BBC as well as Bectascii117, woascii117ld be its final one.

The BBC People director Lascii117cy Adams said: 'It is qascii117ite difficascii117lt to see at the moment qascii117ite how we are going to resolve this. The deficit is at least &poascii117nd;1.5bn, possibly higher. It woascii117ld be negligent not to act now. We believe by not acting it woascii117ld be negligent for staff and aascii117diences.'