BBC tables 210 Resources job cuts

BECTU has condemned the BBC for turning its back on wholly-owned subsidiary Resources Ltd after 210 job cuts were announced today.

Executives explained at talks earlier today (1 December 2008), that a drop-off in work, partly due to cuts in BBC programme budgets, had led to the plan to shed almost one job in three at the TV facilities company.

Cuts across the 700-plus staff include the planned closure of post production activities in BBC Bristol and BBC Birmingham, with almost half the company’s editors in London being sacked. In total as many as 174 jobs could go in Post Production.

Management have promised that wherever possible, job cuts will be achieved through voluntary means.

However union negotiators were warned at today’s meeting that some staff could face compulsory redundancy if individual volunteers were turned down on the grounds that the company could not manage without them.

BECTU has agreed to a trawl for redundancy volunteers across the entire workforce, which will start on 8 December at the latest, but has expressed concern that a current rule, which bars staff made redundant from returning to work at the BBC in any capacity within 12 months, will deter many potential volunteers.

In one of the company’s two business units, Post Production, which hopes to become a London-only operation, the scale of redundancies is due in part to a deliberate shift away from in-house staff to a more casualised workforce.

The union has argued that whether staff volunteer for redundancy, or are made compulsorily redundant, they should be allowed to continue their careers as freelances, even if that entails engagements on BBC work.

Avoiding redundancies

The BBC was criticised by the union for failing to identify staff in Bristol, Birmingham, and one department in London, whose jobs could actually be TUPE-transferred into the BBC, to avoid redundancies.

BBC Vision, the department that could take over some editing staff, and Information and Archives which could employ a proportion of London staff responsible for moving and managing video tapes, had not decided how many staff each might take on in time for today’s announcement.

BECTU Supervisory Official Helen Ryan said: “Many of these cuts are due to BBC production budgets being slashed, and the growing tendency of producers to spend money outside the Corporation, instead of using in-house facilities.

“This is another major step in the casualisation of the entire industry, and we have yet to be persuaded by BBC Resources that all the cuts are justified.

“Our first meeting with management was constructive, but we intend to press them hard to fulful their promise that as far as possible redundancies will be voluntary.”

Although the scale of the cuts has surprised many members in Resources, some kind of reorganisation was expected after the BBC failed to sell all of the company earlier this year. The OB business unit was sold to Satellite Information Services in April this year leaving the future of post-production and TV studios in jeopardy.

The company faces a dramatic drop in work when the BBC’s Sport and Childrens departments move to Salford Quays in 2011.

In addition intense discussions are continuing about the contract to produce EastEnders which is a significant source of revenue. The Studios business unit could face yet more cuts on top of the 36 announced today if EastEnders drops the BBC Resources contract.

Meetings between BECTU and management are due to continue on a regular basis over the next month.

More information for members

BECTU members in London can meet union officials involved in the discussions between 1300 and 1330 on Tuesday December 2 in room B055 at Television Centre, or between 1200 and 1400 on Friday December 5 in room G081 at Television Centre. Meetings with members in Bristol and Birmingham are being arranged.