BBC expenses action halted
BECTU has suspended a work-to-rule while members vote on a new expenses policy.
A postal ballot of members, except those in BBC Resources Limited, is being run, following the BBC's decision this week to make significant changes to new expenses rules which were imposed without agreement in February.
Members in Resources Limited, the subsidiary company which has opted out of the Corporation's central expenses policy, will not be balloted. The company plans to re-introduce its original expenses rules, and has been told by the union that, as far as meal payments and overnights are concerned, the dispute is effectively over.
Details of the revised BBC expenses policy were outlined to union representatives at a meeting on Tuesday April 10, and the final draft of the new policy has now been published.
A number of changes to the rules governing meals and late night/early morning transport.were made in response to union comments on April 10. Members have been advised by the union to obtain copies of the final draft directly from management, or from the BBC's internal communications systems, to ensure that they have the most up-to-date version.
Ballot papers are due to be mailed to members on Tuesday April 17. In a letter accompanying the ballot forms, members are being advised to vote in favour of the amended expenses rules.
The revised expenses regulations represent a significant improvement for many members in the BBC, and if they are rejected the union will need to run another industrial action ballot before resuming any work-to-rule.
In Resources Limited the management have gone even further by reverting to the pre-February status quo.
Exact details of the new policy in Resources Limited have still to be agreed with management, who have already tabled a draft document. However the union has been assured that the company intends to start paying expenses exactly as it would have done before February, with the exception of travel claims.
Read letter to BBC Resources members
London Operations, part of Resources Limited, introduced new rules on payment of travel costs and travel time in March, separately from the change in national expenses rules, and management now want to extend the controversial "excess travel" formula across the rest of the company.
The formula has been resisted in London Operations by a work-to-rule which the union plans to continue.
BECTU, the only union at the BBC which organised official industrial action when the controversial expenses changes were made in February, has hailed the Corporation's change of heart as a major breakthrough.
The BBC's announcement that it was to climb down came as the work-to-rule by BECTU members entered its seventh week.
Letter sent to BECTU members in the BBC (except those in Resources Limited)
17th April 2001
TO: BECTU members in the BBC
Dear Colleague,
Recoverable Expenditure
Following the successful campaign of industrial action across the Corporation, the BBC has reluctantly climbed down. They have written to all staff with a new Expenses Policy which addresses some of the major concerns raised by the unions at the meetings held in December last year and January this year. We are suspending all industrial action associated with this dispute while we carry out a consultative ballot. We will be recommending that you vote YES in the ballot for the reasons outlined below.
While the new policy does not achieve everything we wanted, it should nevertheless be seen as a victory. Regrettably the BBC have imposed the new policy (as of Tuesday 10th April) before speaking to the unions, but since the new policy improves the situation it is preferable to a further delay. The joint unions met the BBC on Tuesday and sought clarification on a number of issues.
The most significant concerns meals and who can claim them, and when, and are they taxable. The BBC have acknowledged that 5 miles from any BBC base is unreasonable and now say "your base". They have also accepted that "5 miles from your base and 5 hours on duty" before being able to claim must be varied for staff who cannot return to their base due to work commitments. In the guidelines published in Ariel and on the intranet there is what appears to be an exclusive list which indicates that only "News, News Resources.....and similar staff in Nations & Regions and World Service" would be covered by this dispensation from the Inland Revenue. The BBC have subsequently written to confirm that this dispensation would apply to any staff who could not return to base to take a meal for operational reasons.
They will be updating the intranet to reflect this new position.
The first meal can be claimed if you are on duty for at least 5 hours, regardless of when during the duty the meal is taken. However, while the second meal should be taken not more than 6 hours after the first because of the Working Time Regulations, you must work for at least 11 hours to be able to claim it. This is what the BBC is referring to when it says you can claim a second meal after 6 hours rather than 7.
It is worth pointing out that when we asked if the 11 hours was a Revenue limit they were explicit in saying no, it was a self-imposed BBC limit. The BBC also refused to agree to the claim for a third meal in a very long duty which could cause a problem for News crews.
As a further concession, the BBC have accepted that after 8.00 pm you can claim the £10 (dinner) rate, even if your duty is for 5 hours. If your turn of duty is 11 hours then you can also combine the two amounts and claim £16.
The [maximum] overnight allowance has also increased from £55 to £65, which will increase the chances of getting a decent hotel.
The mileage rates have been increased to reflect the IR changes for 2001/02, which will only affect cars up to 1500 cc. All of the claims for meals and accommodation are still on a capped actuality basis and receipts will be required.
BBC Credit Card
Because of the concerns raised by the unions, the BBC has now confirmed several points around the issuing and use of the BBC credit card. Firstly the issuer, Barclay, will not check your credit record before giving you the card, and also will not make your record of transactions on the card available to credit agencies, unless, because of transactions that have not cleared, they have had to pass it from their internal debt recovery department to an external agency. To avoid that happening, the BBC currently meets Barclays once a month to discuss outstanding balances. This means that if the BBC is slow to process expenses and there is interest on the card as a result it should not affect your credit rating.
The BBC also said that they would pay interest charges incurred by their delay in processing expense forms. They also confirmed that you can take cash advances on the card, which must then be justified with receipts, etc.
Late Night Early Morning Transport
The BBC repeated their view that nothing should have changed, but after some discussion agreed to revise the wording in the document to say "With the prior approval of the authorising manager, mileage costs can be reimbursed at the Public Transport Rate as an alternative to providing a taxi, provided it can be demonstrated that the use of the car is not the normal method of travel to work."
Why a Ballot?
It is necessary to establish whether this new policy is more acceptable to you, the members, and in order to find that out we are conducting a consultative ballot. Please find enclosed a ballot paper which you should complete and return in the reply paid envelope as soon as possible.
We are advised by our lawyers that because the moves by the BBC are significant we need to suspend the industrial action while the ballot takes place. The lawyers have also advised that in the event of the ballot rejecting the proposals, a fresh ballot would be required.
It is our view that the result is a victory for BECTU members and if the new proposals were to be rejected then it would require protracted industrial action including strike action to gain further improvements. We are recommending that you vote YES.
This letter sets out the position as it applies to BECTU members who work for the BBC. There is a different letter for members who work for Resources Limited. If you have received this letter and you work for Resources Limited please can you e-mail lmiles @bectu.org.uk with your staff number and name, and we will amend our records.
If you have any queries please contact me. Further details can also be found on the BECTU website on www.bectu.org.uk.
Yours sincerely,
LUKE CRAWLEY
Supervisory Official
Letter sent to BECTU members in BBC Resources Limited (including London Operations).
12th April 2001
TO: ALL BECTU MEMBERS IN LONDON OPERATIONS
Dear Colleague,
Recoverable Expenditure: new proposals
Following the successful campaign of industrial action across the
Corporation, the BBC has reluctantly climbed down. They have written to all staff with a new Expenses Policy which addresses some of the major concerns raised by the unions at the meetings held in December last year and January this year.
For members in London Operations the victory means that Resources Ltd has been allowed to have its own Expenses Policy. Given that freedom, Resources Ltd management have imposed a new policy from Wednesday 11th April which, with regard to meal claims and overnights, put you back in the same position you were in on 31st January when the BBC imposed its new policy on the "One BBC". Resources Ltd have imposed the new policy before having formal negotiations with the unions.
However since this new policy reverts to flat rate meal payments and overnights with receipts for the overnight accommodation but not for the meals, it is a much better position than the current one.
The management have already accepted that a meeting will be necessary, and it is being arranged after Easter. There are several typographical errors and grammatical inconsistencies in the document, as well as points of clarification. I have written to Resources Ltd making it clear that, while we welcome the reversion to parts of the previous policy, we cannot agree to the policy as tabled without discussion.
Unlike the BBC, Resources Ltd have accepted that expenses are subject to negotiation.
In the meantime, BECTU is suspending that part of the industrial action which refers to the BBC Recoverable Expenditure dispute. For ease of reference, I list the instructions below which are withdrawn:
Please note that the instruction about being out of contact is similar toone issued as part of the dispute with London Operations,and that stillapplies. Again for ease of reference I give below the text of the instructions issued which are still in force:
It is also the case that the Working Time dispute is still current for employees of Resources Ltd and the instructions issued under that heading should also still be followed. For ease of reference these are listed below
which are still in force:
Given the profusion of industrial action ballots and consultative ballots, it is not easy to be sure which instruction you should be following, but the instructions from the London Operations dispute apply to all members of TV25, Acton TV OBs, Radio OBs, Post Production & Graphic Design and Manchester OBs. The instructions about Working Time apply to all of the above and any other employees of Resources Limited. Further details are on the BECTU website at www.bectu.org.uk.
The rest of the BBC membership is being balloted on the new offer. You are not being balloted because Resources management have largely reverted to the previous position.
I will write to you again when we have had a meeting on Expenses with Resources Ltd. In the meantime, keep up the good work and follow the instructions.
Yours sincerely,
LUKE CRAWLEY
ALL BECTU MEMBERS IN BBC RESOURCES LTD
Supervisory Official