Ballot begins on new BBC Radio offer
Members in BBC Radio are being asked whether they will accept revised proposals on changes to job descriptions.
BECTU has mailed out ballot papers to its members in BBC Radio & Music after management tabled a concession in a long-running dispute over multi-skilled working.
The union had been poised to take strike action, and dates had been picked, when negotiators were called back to talks on the introduction of a new Assistant Producer role.
Staff who move into the new job are expected to perform duties currently carried out by three separate job categories - Studio Managers, Researchers, and on-line authors.
Discussions about the change collapsed, amid union complaints that multi-skilling as envisaged would dilute skills, and put a significant burden on lower-graded staff who would be expected to undertake the new jobs without any extra compensation.
Management are now proposing that nobody in the new pool of Assistant Producers would be paid less than the lowest salary on Band 6 of the BBC grading structure, thus offering a pay rise to lower-graded staff on Band 5 who end up in the multi-skilled roles.
After being appointed, all staff would progress to grade Band 7 within four years at the longest.
Negotiators are making no recommendation on whether or not members should accept the concession, and are warning that industrial action will follow if the revised offer is rejected.
Letter sent to members with ballot papers
17th February 2006
Dear Member
Consultative ballot: Assistant Producer role
At a meeting on 8th February Radio and Music management tabled an improved offer in relation to the proposed Assistant Producer (AP) role. The industrial action has been suspended while we consult with our members.
The new offer was conditional on the Joint Unions being neutral or positive about it. If we recommended that you reject the offer it would be withdrawn. Furthermore the BBC have stated that if the offer is rejected after consultation it will be withdrawn and they would impose the offer tabled in October.
If it is rejected by members we will be notifying the BBC of dates for further industrial action. This letter will try to set out the improvements and also point out the consequences of acceptance and rejection.
I enclose with the letter a ballot paper and you should use your vote and return it in the envelope provided as soon as possible.
What's new
The BBC have improved their offer by saying that all those who are appointed to a substantive post under this round of recruitment will start at the floor of Band 6 (£24,649 inclusive of London Weighting) rather than the floor of Band 5 (£22,041 inclusive of London Weighting).
Anyone who is already above the floor of Band 6 will receive a new pensionable salary that will be not less than the their current basic pay plus UPA (not including overtime and night hours). They will receive at least their current take-home pay (excluding overtime and night hours).
Those who are appointed on an acting basis or as an attachment, and who are subsequently made substantive will also be covered by this deal providing there is no break in service at AP level. The new appointments will still have a four year progression to the floor of Band 7 except for those already on band 6 who will have 2 years.
Any Assistant Producers recruited in the future would start at the floor of Band 5 and have a two year progression to the floor of Band 6 and then 2 years to the floor of band 7. They confirmed that as with the current Assistant Producers, no UPA will be paid unless APs are scheduled unpredictably.
Existing Assistant Producers
Substantive APs, who originally had a five year progression to the floor of band 7, will now reach the floor of Band 7 in 4 years. Any substantive AP who was appointed from the floor of band 6 will now have a 2 year progression. In both cases previous service from the date of appointment will be used to calculate the progression.
People who are acting as APs or on attachment and are later made substantive will be treated as outlined above unless there is a break in service at AP level.
As previously outlined you can opt to be assessed in two out of the three roles in the first year but management retain the right to ask you to work across all three roles. The management are still offering a joint review of workload.
They are also clear that if you are facing redundancy and you apply for an AP job you can still opt for redundancy if you do not like the job. The management have guaranteed that no one will be forced to take an AP job rather than face compulsory redundancy therefore safeguarding the voluntary nature of the role.
Consequences
The concerns expressed by the Joint Unions concerning the three-in-one nature of the new role and its potential impact on programme quality still remain but R&M management were adamant that they would not reconsider this aspect of the proposal.
As I have already said it is a condition of this offer that the Joint Unions are neutral when consulting and we believe it is up to you, the members, to decide whether to accept or reject it. The BBC have put more money on the table for people recruited this time around but any APs recruited in the future will have to start at the floor of band 5. Those currently on band 3, 4 or 5 stand to gain the most in salary terms.
Existing APs will not see an increase in salary but will see a shortened progression to the floor of band 7 unless they were appointed from band 6 in which case their salary would be adjusted from the date of any agreement.
If the offer is accepted then it will be implemented from an agreed date. If the offer is rejected then management intend to impose the previous offer tabled in October. This would mean that those appointed to the AP role would have a 5 year progression rather than 4 years.
We believe that if the offer is rejected then it will be necessary to take industrial action. The industrial action ballot will be re-activated and we will be giving the BBC notice of further strike dates.
Please return the ballot paper in the envelope provided to Luke Crawley at BECTU Head Office, 373-377, Clapham Road, London SW9 9BT no later than 12 noon Friday 3rd March 2006. You have been sent this letter because according to our records you work for the BBC in Radio and Music Division. If this is not the case, can you please email [email protected] and let us know.
Yours faithfully
Luke Crawley
Supervisory Official
BBC Division BECTU
Amended 21 February 2006