Ballot rerun on BBC expenses

Last month's vote on a new BBC expenses policy is being run again.

Union officials decided to remount the ballot when they discovered that hundreds of members had not been sent voting forms.

Staff who had transferred from BBC Resources Ltd back into the main BBC at the beginning of April were inadvertantly left out of the ballot when it began a few days later.

The problem came to light only after the ballot closed on May 4, when a decisive ten to one majority was announced in favour of a compromise expenses proposal from management.

However, union officials believed the number of members excluded from the vote meant that they had no choice but to annul the result and run a fresh ballot.

Administration staff at BECTU HQ are still amending the union's database, but believe that the number of missing votes could be between 500 and 1000.

If true, the number of disenfranchised members could match or even exceed the 984 who returned ballot forms in the first vote.

The fresh ballot will not begin until the union is satisfied that all eligible members have been identified and lodged on the list of voters.

Forms for the new ballot are expected to be sent to home addresses by week beginning June 4.

Text of letter to BBC management

9th May 2001

Ms Gillian Alford
Manager Employee Relations
BBC, Broadcasting House

Dear Gillian,

RECOVERABLE EXPENDITURE

I am writing to inform you that the result of the ballot announced on Friday 4th May is now withdrawn. The reason is that as a result of administrative problems a significant number of BECTU members who were recently transferred back into the BBC from Resources Ltd were not balloted.

I will be re-issuing the ballot as soon as the confusion has been cleared up.

Yours sincerely,

LUKE CRAWLEY
Supervisory Official