Children in Need...of nurseries

Managers waited until Children in Need's Pudsey was out of the way

Managers waited until Children in Need's Pudsey was out of the way

Unions are organising a fight against the closure of BBC workplace nurseries across the UK.

On-line petitions have been set up to allow angry staff at the Corporation to express their feelings about the BBC's retreat from childcare provision.

Go straight to BECTU petition [closes 1200 on 16 March 2007]

The closure announcement came out of the blue last November, causing anger and concern among parents whose children attend the BBC's seven nurseries.

Unions believe that managers acted cynically by revealing the shut-down plan only days after the BBC's high-profile Children in Need charity show had been screened on November 17.

At a meeting with unions, BBC management said that, as the childcare facilities are available to only a small proportion of staff, they were being closed in the interests of fairness.

Management also claimed that that workplace nursery provision has no impact on whether parents return to work after childbirth or adoption is erroneous. However those who work for BBC, both with and without children, say that BBC nursery places and subsided childcare are crucial in enabling parents to effectively combine a family with a career in broadcasting.

Those who would like to use the nurseries in the future, parents on the waiting lists, or parents who were unable to get places at all have not even been considered.

Closure will affect all staff, not only because parents without child care nearby work less effectively, but also in that the nurseries closures should be seen as just another cut in terms and conditions of employment.

Last year the BBC pension scheme was closed to new members, now it's subsidised childcare, and the unions are wondering what could be next?

The closure of its nurseries will cut the BBC's contribution to childcare by £1.4 million, replacing the nursery places with a tax-efficient voucher system that parents can use towards paying for commercial childcare.

Although the vouchers may benefit far more than 220 staff, the design of the system means that the BBC will save even more cash by cutting its national insurance contributions, reducing its effective cash support for childcare to ZERO.

Unions are calling for childcare at the BBC to be extended, not cut, and are asking all staff affected by the nursery closure to sign the petition below.

Staff who want to join the campaign should contact Jane Perry by e-mail or mobile: 07921 109471

[Update - the petition is no closed and the form below has been deactivated]

Nursery petition form

Children in Need...of workplace nurseries

I am sending / signing this petition to register my opposition to the closure of the nurseries and the end of subsidised childcare at the BBC with a resultant loss of jobs.

The BBC's assertion that workplace nursery provision has no impact on whether parents return to work after childbirth or adoption is erroneous. Those who work for BBC, both with and without children, say that BBC nursery places and subsided childcare are crucial in enabling parents to effectively combine a family with a career in broadcasting.

The BBC's justification for the closure of nurseries is because they are not available to all staff. To justify both the fairness argument and a supportive attitude to working parents the BBC should be extending its childcare support. Instead of a levelling down exercise we ask the BBC to honour its valuation of staff by engaging in a levelling up exercise: those sending / signing this petition ask the BBC to keep the nurseries open and to extend its support for working parents. If the nurseries are closed the BBC will be in the position of providing no direct support for working parents.

[Petition closes 1200 on 16 March 2007]

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7 February 2007
Amended 13 February 2007
Amended 4 March 2007