BBC journalists have been on strike for 48 hours since this morning. The British public broadcaster wants to make significant cuts to the local radio stations of BBC Local Radio. And that will cost jobs.
The 39 local radio stations that fall under the BBC must share or merge more programs. That means many people could lose their jobs. Some employees even had to reapply for their own job. Several presenters of the local radio stations have already announced their – sometimes involuntary – departure after years of service.
The austerity plans led to protests and a first strike on 15 March. Then employees of the local broadcaster who are members of the British journalists’ union NUJ stopped working. After that, the BBC gave in a bit, but it wasn’t enough for the union.
Employees of local radio, regional TV and online services in the United Kingdom are therefore once again on strike. In total, there are about a thousand employees.
‘Local news is vital’
“Many of our members who had to reapply for their job and were threatened with dismissal have had a very painful time,” says Paul Siegert, who is responsible for broadcasters at NUJ.
“Local news is vital. Not only to inform people, but also because it binds communities together. In addition, there are people who do not have online access. They are losing the trusted presenters who have become their friends.”
Local radio is cheap to make, according to Siegert. “We believe that the BBC can therefore easily resolve this dispute.” The BBC said it would continue to talk to the union. But for now, those negotiations are deadlocked.
Scandals with Lineker and CEO Sharp
The NUJ says that the BBC has a bad reputation with its journalists. Of the members of the NUJ who work at the company, 93 percent said last month that they no longer have confidence in the management. Those results were announced last week.
The journalists are dissatisfied with the handling of several recent scandals, such as with Gary Lineker. The football presenter Match of the Day had to temporarily step back from the BBC after he criticized the British government’s asylum policy on Twitter. The broadcaster soon came back from that.
In addition, the issue is with Richard Sharp. The BBC chairman resigned in April when it came out that he had helped then Prime Minister Boris Johnson get a loan shortly before his appointment. In doing so, he violated the rules of the broadcaster. A survey of NUJ union members ultimately led to Sharp’s resignation. More than a thousand members had urged him to leave.
The BBC journalists will not resume work until Friday. Unless the union and the broadcaster manage to reach a compromise sooner.
2023-06-07 07:01:22
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