[Swprograms] BBC Programs Canceled as Staff Strike

[Joel Rubin <jmrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-britain-bbc.html

By REUTERS
Published: May 23, 2005

Filed at 3:55 a.m. ET

LONDON (Reuters) - BBC journalists and other employees began a 24-hour
strike over job cuts on Monday, forcing the cancellation of most live
news programing.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and two other unions
representing technical workers were striking to protest against plans
by BBC Director General Mark Thompson to cut about 20 percent of its
workforce, or about 4,000 jobs.

BBC News 24 and the BBC World Service were running large blocks of
pre-recorded programing on Monday morning. Its flagship ``Today''
radio news program was canceled.

BBC One's Breakfast television program was running with a basic
service and one presenter, and some regional radio programs were
presented by managers. Staff for the foreign language service of the
World Service also joined the picket line, the NUJ said.

The BBC said it regretted the strike action and would do everything it
could to produce the best possible service.

``Industrial action will not remove the need for further consultation
or the need for the BBC to implement changes which will enable us to
put more money into improved programs and services,'' it said in a
statement.

The NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear called on the BBC to
``understand and respond to the anger and concern at job cuts which
will undermine quality, threaten the working conditions of staff and
devalue the BBC for viewers and listeners.''

The NUJ along with the Bectu and AMICUS unions voted on May 12 to
authorize four strike days: 24 hours on May 23, 48 hours over May 31
and June 1, and a fourth day without a set date.

They chose to avoid big events like the Wimbledon tennis tournament,
televised on the BBC.

The unions had said they would call off the strike if the BBC granted
a 90-day moratorium to the planned staff cuts, guaranteed that any
redundancies be voluntary and protected conditions of jobs set to be
outsourced.

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