OB members accept sale

Members working for BBC TV Outside Broadcasts (OBs) have voted overwhelmingly to accept a deal on the transfer of their employment.

The new employer will be a subsidiary of Satellite Information Services (SIS), a company which is established in the outside broadcast market.

The agreement will give staff protection of their terms and conditions, including pension rights, for three years from the date of sale together with a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies for the first twelve months. The new owner has also accepted that existing BBC redundancy terms will apply to anyone made redundant until December 2012.

BECTU’s ballot closed today at 12 noon with 82.2% of members voting ‘yes’ on a good turnout of 38.7%.

Assistant General Secretary Luke Crawley said: "None of our members want to leave the BBC but the collective strength of the union has allowed us to protect them going forward and, most importantly, secure for them a final salary pension scheme. Retention of the BBC redundancy agreement until 2012 is unprecedented.

“We have had constructive meetings with SIS and expect to develop a good working relationship."

The sale of OBs and the transfer of OB staff from BBC Resources to SIS is expected to go ahead next week on 1 April 2008.

However, for other staff in BBC Resources the future is less clear. Members in Post Production still do not know whether their part of the business will be sold, nor do they know what will happen to them if they stay in BBC Resources.

By contrast, members working in Studios at BBC TV Centre know that they will be staying with Resources but do not know what will happen when the building closes in 2012 as seems almost certain.

BECTU has registered a dispute with the BBC over their failure to provide guarantees for staff in Studios (and also for those in Post Production if it is not sold). We are also seeking guarantees that if Post Production is sold that the deal will be no less favourable than the deal for members in OBs. We are expecting a response from the BBC early next week.