BBC journalists to vote on industrial action


Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Fri, 29 September 2023 

BBC journalists are to be balloted for industrial action in a dispute over jobs.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said all its members at the corporation will vote in a campaign opposing any compulsory redundancies.

The NUJ said its members in the World Service, the News Channel, and across England at BBC Local faced losing their jobs.

The union said it believes compulsory redundancies can be avoided with redeployment and flexibility.

Paul Siegert, NUJ national broadcasting organiser, said: “This dispute is resolvable and requires serious engagement.

“If the BBC refuse to engage properly, as befits a public body, NUJ members across the BBC stand prepared to widen this dispute including taking strike action if necessary.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “We need to modernise the way we deliver the news while addressing the financial challenges many organisations, including the BBC, are facing, and this means having to make difficult decisions.

“We always do everything we can to avoid compulsory redundancies but we cannot rule them out.

“We are working hard with each of our colleagues to maximise redeployment opportunities for them, and we will continue to work constructively with the unions.”