Allen's departure welcomed

BECTU has welcomed the announcement that Charles Allen is to stand down as chief executive of ITV.

During his reign, Allen has presided over mass redundancies and a dumbing down of programmes. He has also been responsible for significant cuts in regional programmes.

BECTU estimates that since the ITV plc merger, Allen has made a figure of close to 4,000 workers redundant across the country. The majority of these are in programme making and technical areas.

BECTU's assistant general secretary Gerry Morrissey said: "Charles Allen came to ITV with a reputation of being a cost-cutter and during his time in charge he has lived up to that reputation.

"However, rather than investing the money in quality programme making he has instead made it available as dividends for shareholders.

"He has also not known when to stop making cuts and his lack of a programme making background has resulted in a significant drop in ITV audience share."

Supervisory official Sharon Elliott added: "Charles Allen's successor will inherit a demoralised workforce who have ground down by successive rounds of redundancies and cuts to programme budgets.

"We hope whoever succeeds him will reverse these policies and accept that the way to improve ITV's position is to invest in programmes and in the staff that make them."

In addition, BECTU was critical of ITV's board's decision to allow Allen to stay on until January 2007 in order to pick up a pension at the age of 50, rumoured to be worth £500,000 per annum.

This is at the same time that ITV is considering reducing the pension benefits for the remainder of its workforce.