Pay industrial action voting

Voting is now taking place amongst all three BBC staff unions in the industrial action ballot over this year's 4% pay offer.

The ballot of BECTU, NUJ and AEEU members closes on 7 October. The decision to ballot followed a consultative poll of union members, in which they rejected the 4% rise which was imposed in August.

Members were known to be angry about the increase given to Director General John Birt, which at 9%, was more than twice the rise given to staff generally.

Other senior BBC executives also received generous increases, and their pleas for wage restraint amongst staff were met by accusations of double standards from the unions.

BBC management had hoped that their decision to impose the 4% increase without agreement would defuse any protests from staff, but more than two thirds of union members who voted in the consultative poll called on the unions to run a formal industrial action ballot.

The first target if members support industrial action will be a day of protest on 20 October, where the unions will call for a short stoppage in order to highlight discontent at the BBC over staff pay, cuts in programme budgets, and the excessive salary increases given to senior management.