BBC prepares to avoid news blackout during strike

Corporation moves to ensure cover is on standby for key programmes during Friday’s planned 24-hour walkout The BBC is making preparations to try and avoid a blackout of news programmes during Friday’s planned 24-hour walkout by journalists. Negotiations with the National Union of Journalists over compulsory redundancies at BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring are going down to the wire, with news staff due to take industrial action from midnight on Thursday. The last time BBC News was hit by a strike in November 2010, stand-ins including former GMTV presenter Emma Crosby and the BBC’s own director of news Helen Boaden were drafted in to help keep shows on air. But, in what could be seen as a sign that the corporation does not intend to back down, preparations are under way to ensure cover is on standby for key programmes such as BBC Radio 4′s Today on Friday. Meanwhile, the NUJ has sent a memo to staff outlining why it is striking following a ballot over compulsory redundancies, and how it thinks the BBC could halt the walkout. “One of our members in the BBC World Service has already been dismissed. Two NUJ members at Monitoring, including our NUJ rep, will be forced to leave their jobs next week and the week after,” the union said. “One other member in Monitoring will be made compulsorily redundant in August, together with several others in the World Service and others to come in the weeks and months to follow. The BBC has mishandled these cases and has not shown the will to sort them out.” The NUJ memo added that the union believes there are five ways the BBC can stop the strike. “Extend the leaving dates of those immediately at risk to allow for further talks; Agree to release volunteers; Cut the red tape when it comes to redeployment and make it happen; Use vacant posts to offset the costs of employing those at risk; Apply fairness across the BBC and treat people the same –wherever they work.” However, the BBC business operations director, Lucy Adams, told staff in a recent internal email: “Our financial position means that we are unable to agree to the NUJ’s demands for no compulsory redundancies and delaying taking action now means that we will be required to find even more money in the future, potentially affecting more jobs.” A further 24-hour strike is due to take place on 29 July. The NUJ declined to comment. The BBC said it remained in “continuous talks” with the NUJ. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook . BBC Media unions National Union of Journalists Television industry Radio industry Tara Conlan guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 13, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.