BBC Journalists On 48-Hour Strike

More than 4,000 BBC journalists have begun a 48-hour strike in a row over pension plan changes.

Members of the National Union of Journalists had voted in favour of the strike action after rejecting the BBC's latest pension proposals and further walk-outs are planned for November 15 and 16.

However, members of the broadcasting union BECTU, which includes technical and production staff, voted to accept the offer.

The NUJ has warned that most BBC radio and TV news programmes will either not be broadcast or will be severely disrupted.

Radio 4's Today programme was not on air this morning, Radio 3 had no breakfast show, some shows on Radio 5 Live have been replaced by recordings and news bulletins are not running on 6 Music.

A statement issued by the BBC said: "We are disappointed that the NUJ have gone ahead with today's industrial action. This is despite the other four unions accepting our revised offer and feedback from staff that indicates the same. It is the public who lose out and we apologise to our audience for any disruption to services."

As part of the action, NUJ members will also refuse to take on additional duties or volunteer for acting up duties as part of an indefinite work to rule.

BBC Director General Mark Thomspon sent an email to BBC staff warning that the strikes would not reduce the pension deficit or make the plans for reform go away.

However, NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear said: "NUJ members across the BBC have consistently dubbed the proposals a 'pensions robbery'. That hasn't changed. The BBC have now left members with no choice but to take action to defend their pensions."

Members of BECTU voted to accept the BBC's offer - the union said that members "have accepted that the BBC's offer is the best that can be achieved through negotiation".

The dispute was sparked over the BBC's plans to cap future increases in pensionable pay by 1% each year from next April, in order to reduce a £1.5 billion deficit.

However, the new offers sees the amount that employees would have to pay into the scheme being reduced from 7% to 6%. Employees would then receive a career-average benefit pension, which would be revalued by up to 4% each year, instead of the previous offer of 2.5%. Pension payments will also now automatically rise each year in line with inflation, also by up to 4%, instead of 2.5%.

However, BECTU warned that the dispute could resurface next year if the pension deficit turns out to be less than £1.5 billion.

Members of Unite, Equity and the Musicians' Union, whose members are also affected, have also voted to accept the BBC's offer.

(KMcA/GK)