BBC announces redundancies, unions announce strike

Union representatives have threatened to strike after the BBC announced its plans for "a smaller, but fitter, BBC"

The six-year scheme dubbed “Delivering Creative Future” is a direct result of a smaller than expected licensing fee settlement from the government.

The small settlement means that the BBC will have to do more than just switch to low-energy bulbs in the office.

Viewers can expect to less original shows and repeats from the network as part of the budget plans include a 10 percent decrease in original shows by 2012/13 focusing on fewer, high-quality shows and across television as a whole the BBC plans to commission 10 percent less hours which will save £100m annually.

Reducing the size of the BBC’s property portfolio by selling BBC Television Centre by 2012/13 is also on the budget cuts agenda along with a whole heap of redundancies. The corporation plans to close 2,500 positions, and at the same time fill roughly 1,000 new posts internally, thus leaving the total redundancy figure at around 1,800 people. The BBC plans on asking staff to volunteer for redundancy.

Although most of the redundancies will be in news, the BBC assured it’s staff that the BBC content will not change and will still remain “the cornerstone of the organisation.”

Broadcasting unions, Bectu, NUJ and Unite have threated to strike if the planned job cuts go ahead. NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear has said that the BBC must withdraw the proposal for redundancies agree on a framework for negotiations or face the consequences of a strike.

The union representatives have given the BBC until midday today to respond.