BBC strike to disrupt schedules

BBC journalists and technical staff were going on strike Thursday in a row over jobs, workload, and claims of bullying, threatening disruption to TV and radio programmes, it was announced here. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the technicians' union Bectu were walking out from offices and studios across the UK at noon for 12 hours, and will follow the action with a work to rule, the unions said. The Unions were mounting picket lines outside BBC centres, including New Broadcasting House in central London, warning that the action will hit the Easter public Holiday schedule and will affect programmes including news bulletins. The unions are protesting at the so-called delivering quality first (DQF) programme which will lead to 2,000 job losses. The BBC management apologised for any disruption caused by the strike, but said it could not agree to union calls for compulsory job losses to be postponed. Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, said workers were sending a clear message to the BBC that it needed to address problems created by the "ill conceived and badly implemented" cuts. In a statement, she said, "It is disappointing that once again the BBC has decided not to properly engage, refusing our call for a moratorium to give space for meaningful discussions on the worrying impact of the cuts".