STV and Grampian face second strike
Unions have called another 24-hour stoppage at Scottish and Grampian TV after a successful strike on 29 March.
Members of BECTU and the NUJ will walk out again on 6 April, unless Scottish Media Group, which owns the two ITV companies, makes new concessions in a long-running dispute over cuts in jobs and wages.
The warning came after more than 400 staff employed at bases in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh took part in a one-day strike which took local news programmes off the air.
Studios were brought to a standstill as the strike won support from across the political spectrum in Scotland. Politicians from all parties refused to cross the picket line, and declined interviews off the premises which might have been used in scab news bulletins.
The first strike went ahead despite last minute talks between the unions and SMG convened by ACAS, the government conciliation service. Although key executives in the company indicated that they might compromise on some of the issues which divided the two sides, SMG refused to back down on plans for compulsory redundancies, due to take effect on 14 April.
The unions believe that the company is anxious to go ahead with the job cuts among producer/directors in Aberdeen in order to present the Independent Television Commission, the industry regulator, with a fait accompli in three weeks time when SMG is due to respond to criticism of its regional programming.
Following a complaint sponsored by unions and concerned politicians, in which it was claimed that SMG had ignored its obligation to provide adequate local news coverage, the ITC ruled that Grampian TV must present an action plan for improvements in its regional programming. The two Aberdeen staff facing compulsory redundancy are currently involved in producing local programmes.
In addition to job cuts, many staff employed by Scottish and Grampian have been threatened with significant pay cuts under the reorganisation which prompted the strike action.
A new grading system could cut salaries by as much as £10,000 for 160 staff whose pay rates have been protected since a shake-up of the wage structure in 1991. SMG also wants to replace annual pay bargaining with individual pay deals based on staff performance, with the possibility of wages being cut even further if market rates outside are perceived to be falling.