Unions threaten to strike over BBC plans to change pensions and axe staff

Published Tuesday 11 April 2006 at 14:30 by Liz Thomas

The BBC is facing the prospect of industrial action on two fronts, after broadcasting unions pledged to battle changes to the pension fund as well as the Corporation’s decision to make compulsory redundancies among its staff.

Bectu, the National Union of Journalists and Amicus have threatened an immediate strike if plans to close the current pension scheme - which guarantees a retirement income related to length of service and final salaries - to new members, goes ahead.

Union officials are meeting BBC executives on April 20 to discuss the changes, which could see pensions based on a “career average” and retirement age raised from 60 to 65 for staff under 50. Bectu, the largest broadcasting union, claims such a move will leave its members as much as 30% worse off. Assistant general secretary Gerry Morrissey said: “If it is as drastic as we think, we will strike immediately.”

The changes are being considered as part of a three-yearly review of the pension fund, which has around 21,000 contributors paying a total of £100m a year. A BBC spokesman said: “The scheme is a very healthy one. This is a routine actuarial review.”

However, industrial action looks a serious possibility as recent negotiations between the unions and the BBC ended in stalemate, with the Corporation refusing to withdraw notices sent to staff last month.

The unions had asked for there to be a halt to forced redundancies until the second year of the Corporation’s swinging cutbacks, which aims to save £320 million a year by axing thousands of jobs. They have given a final date of April 28 before members are balloted on this issue. The BBC has so far refused to back down and more staff are expected to receive compulsory redundancy notices within the next month.