No to BBC Resources Ltd

BECTU BBC members at a meeting in London vote no to turning the Corporation's Resources Directorate into a wholly-owned commercial company.

At the well attended rally held on 17 February concerns were expressed about the implications if the BBC makes Resources a wholly-owned subsidiary:

• Such a move would be an irreversible step in the break up of the BBC
• The Limited company status would put pressure on management to cut costs in order to meet profit targets by reducing pay, conditions and job security
• Privitisation would follow if facilities companies continued to complain that BBC Resources enjoyed an unfair public subsidy from the Licence Fee

The meeting voted to support the union's policy that no change in the status of Resources should take place before the General Election, and that a ballot for industrial action should be held if the BBC does not give guarantees on conditions, pensions, redundancy rights and job security if it confirms it wants to form Resources Ltd.

No proposals have been put to the union at this stage, although it is understood that the BBC's Board of Governors will be re-considering within the next ten days plans to change the status of Resources.

The union lobbied the Board of Governor's meeting in January, both on the possibility of Resources Ltd and the creation of the new Broadcast and Production Directorates.