Members call for action at GMG in ballot

Four ITV stations run by Granada Media Group (GMG) could be hit by industrial action this month after a ballot of union members.

The unions lobby the GMG Annual General Meeting on 3 February.

BECTU, NUJ and AEEU members working at the stations voted by a majority of 75% to take strike action over pay and job security - an ever higher majority of 90% supported a work to rule. Three out of four members took part in the ballot.

Full ballot results

Programmes transmitted by the Granada, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees, and London Weekend TV companies now face the prospect of blackouts if no further progress is made in talks about the joint union pay claim.

Union representatives broke the news about the ballot in person to GMG shareholders attending the company's annual meeting in Central London today on 3 February.

Union representatives present their case outside the GMG AGM.

Hundreds of institutional and private shareholders were urged to instruct Granada to re-open negotiations with the unions.

Granada's unions tabled a demand for a pay rise of 11%, and a promise of job security, after the company declared a profit increase of 21%, and generous bonuses for top executives of GMG which totalled £2,674,000. Group finances were buoyed up by a decision from the Independent Television Commission, the industry regulator, that Yorkshire and Tyne Tees should pay £35 Million less per year for their broadcasting licences.

A final pay offer of 3.6% from Granada prompted the union ballot across all four companies, and the vote in favour of industrial action has been reported both to the company and to ACAS, the government conciliation service, which often attempts to mediate between unions and employers in disputes.

If Granada refuses to return to the bargaining table with an improved offer, the unions are likely to start a campaign of industrial action from February 22, and production of many household favourites could be hit. Coronation Street, Emmerdale Farm, Heartbeat, and Blind Date could all be at risk.

Voting figures for BECTU members at GMG companies

Granada TV
Strike action ?		Action short of strike ?
YES	NO	YES	NO
156	42	179	18
79%	21%	91%	9%

Yorkshire TV
Strike action ?		Action short of strike ?
YES	NO	YES	NO
58	24	66	17
71%	29%	80%	20%

Tyne Tees
Strike action ?		Action short of strike ?
YES	NO	YES	NO
34	9	40	3
79%	21%	93%	7%

London Weekend TV
Strike action ?		Action short of strike ?
YES	NO	YES	NO
63	43	92	15
59%	41%	86%	14%

The unions graphically show the salary differential between GMG's top executives and staff outside the company's AGM.

3 February 1999
Amended 4 February 1999