C4 staff transfer to Red Bee Media

Channel 4 no longer employs its own playout staff following their transfer to Red Bee Media on 1 August.

More than 100 staff have been added to Red Bee’s payroll following seven months of talks between the two companies, BECTU and the staff affected.

Since transfer talks began last November, BECTU has been focussed on securing the best possible transfer arrangements for its members at Channel 4, the majority of whom are affected by the reorganisation.

Staff who transferred include engineers, technicians, librarians and network directors.

Job security and protection of terms and conditions, including pension arrangements, all featured in the consultations.

BECTU members voted by a margin of 3-1 in June to accept the transfer of their employment tied to the following provisions:

• No change to terms and conditions for 30 months from the date of transfer;
• No compulsory redundancies for 30 months from the date of transfer;
• Additional travel expenses to be met for a maximum of two years after relocation from Victoria to White City;
• In the event of future redundancies, Red Bee Media’s redundancies terms to be applied;
• Channel 4 to pay a pro-rated bonus to TUPE’d staff from January - July 2008;
• Red Bee Media to pay a bonus to TUPE’d staff to cover the period to August 2009.
• Staff rights to join Red Bee Media’s final salary scheme.

Agreement on comparable pension arrangements was an essential part of the agreement for BECTU’s members.

Accrued benefits for those staff in the Channel 4 pension scheme will be protected. Staff who join the Red Bee scheme will accrue rights based on 1/60th of basic salary per year of membership compared to the rate of 1/50th in the Channel Four scheme.

However staff contributions will be less, at 6% compared to 7.5%, and the staff pensionable age at Red Bee is more favourable, at 60, than at Channel 4.

BECTU recommended the agreement to members as the best that would be achieved through negotiation. It is expected that playout staff will remain based at C4’s headquarters in Victoria until 2010.

Red Bee Media, BBC Broadcast until 2005, is now majority owned by Macquarie Capital Alliance Group, part of the group which also owns Arqiva and National Grid Wireless. Red Bee Media employs 1300 staff and has bases in Europe, Asia and Australia.