English Opera strike ballot

Members at English National Opera are voting for action over job cuts.

BECTU has sent industrial action ballot papers to members at ENO after accusing the employer of reneging on a deal reached last September, in which staff were promised continued employment during the company's six-month shut-down.

ENO management have also refused to promise that there will be no compulsory redundancies, and have not ruled out the possible outsourcing of some departments.

Up to 89 job cuts have been threatened among BECTU members, with low-paid staff being badly hit, and ENO is planning to change employment practices in order to secure stabilisation funding from the Arts Council of England (ACE).

Almost 50 of the cuts affect full time staff, while workers on fixed term contracts face a further 41 post closures. Admin staff have been warned that there could be more cuts in their area in the near future. Only 17 new posts are being created in the contested reorganisation.

ACE's Stabilisation Panel meets tomorrow to decide the criteria that will be attached to any funding - a BECTU request to meet ACE has been turned down on the grounds that it is inappropriate for them to discuss this matter with the union because the detail of the stabilisation strategy is solely the domain of the panel and the company.

BECTU shares some of the objectives stated in the ENO Strategy Document submitted to ACE such as the proposed improvements in financial monitoring and control, the development of the role played by ENO Bayliss, and the opportunity for other opera and ballet companies to stage their work in London with the support of ENO staff, and have given a commitment to work with the company to achieve these objectives.

However, the union does not believe that a reduction in full time jobs will secure a more stable company and has blamed the financial crisis facing the ENO on a decline in box office income and a failure to control production costs.

Redundancy costs will not be offset by the corresponding reduction in labour costs over the 6 month closure period and, given the planned programme of work following restoration, there will be a continued need for a similar number of people to be employed.

BECTU has condemned the cuts plan as an unnecessary drain on public funds and believes that ENO plans to increase casualisation and transfer labour costs around the balance sheet.

The ballot closes at mid-day on Thursday 3 April 2003.