New strike threat at BBC News

Members in BBC TV News could take strike action for the second time in three months, this time over job cuts.

BECTU is about to run an industrial action ballot among more than 600 members in BBC News after management threatened to issue notice of compulsory redundancy to some staff.

Five staff expect to receive notice on January 19, with another five due to be selected from specific departments threatened with redundancy.

One of the affected areas, News Production Facilities, was involved in strike action in November over changes to rota patterns.

The disputed redundancies are part of a package of job cuts aimed at closing 108 posts in BBC News, as its contribution to Mark Thompson's third year of savings.

Most of the cuts have been achieved through voluntary means, but at a meeting with unions on January 9 the management announced that they had been unable to achieve their target savings, and compulsory redundancies were unavoidable.

BECTU and the NUJ have maintained opposition to compulsory cuts since Thompson's savings plan, aimed at freeing up £355m a year, was revealed in December 2004. However, both unions have been willing to cooperate with management by agreeing to job cuts that are either voluntary or the result of natural wastage.

The strike ballot, likely to begin on January 18, is the first threat of industrial action over Thompson's cuts since the all-out BBC stoppage on May 23 2005.