Revised BBC expenses accepted

A revised expenses policy covering most of the BBC has been accepted in a ballot.

The revised policy, covering BBC and BBC Technology, has been accepted in a remounted ballot of BECTU members following earlier administrative problems.

In the BBC 79.6% of those responding voted in favour of the new expenses arrangements, whilst in Technology 90.3% voted similarly.

The same proposals were made for both the BBC and BBC Technology Ltd - there have been separate ballots for legal reasons.

This follows the BBC management announcement in September last year that they were planning to impose an unagreed revised expenses policy across the Corporation. Against the unions' advice the BBC subsequently imposed the revised policy in February.

Seven weeks of industrial action by members to oppose the unagreed changes resulted in management significantly amending the expenses policy covering the BBC and BBC Technology, along with BBC Resources substantially reverting to the pre-February situation.

There has not been a ballot in Resources because of the reversion to previous arrangements - however documentation of the system has still to be agreed with management.