STRIKE: BBC staff take action after corporation plans to cut 2,000 jobs

BBC staff have today gone on strike, affecting a host of popular programmes, as they respond to the corporation’s drive to make savings through job cuts.

The 24 hour strike began at midnight last night outside BBC offices across the nation as part of a campaign against the newly proposed compulsory redundancies in which the BBC plans to axe 2,000 jobs. The strike has already affected programmes including Radio 4’s Today Programme, BBC Breakfast, Newsbeat and Five Live, which have all been taken off air.

As a result of the BBC’s most recent cost-saving programme, Delivering Quality First, broadcasting is set to suffer significantly. Investigative journalism and coverage of political conferences will feel the strain, particularly after having already lost 1,400 posts.

Sports events will be lost to Pay TV and local radio cuts will hinder the BBC’s reach to local communities, says the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), organising today’s walk out.

As far as jobs go, Scotland is expected to lose between 100 and 120 jobs and BBC Wales is expected to lose more than 100. The BBC has cut 7,000 jobs since 2004.

NUJ General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet said that “NUJ members across the BBC cannot believe why their management is failing to redeploy colleagues at risk – at the very same time as advertising job vacancies. It is a monumental waste of talent and experience.

“Paying needless redundancies is a waste of public money. This action could easily be avoided. This not just about self-interest. BBC journalists care deeply about the quality of programming and the corporation’s duty as a public service broadcaster. That is why so many are already working way beyond their contracted hours and are ‘acting up’ without financial reward, and why stress levels across the BBC are at an all-time high.”

So far this morning, BBC1’s Breakfast, Radio 4 and Radio 5 live programmes have all been substituted with pre-recorded shows.

BBC networks will continue to be affected until the strike ends at midnight tonight.