BBC chief to spell out job cuts

BBC staff will hear details today of plans to axe up to 2,800 jobs to help plug a £2bn (€2.9bn) funding shortfall, which could lead to a wave of strikes by journalists and broadcasting workers.

A series of briefings will be held at BBC offices across the UK to announce where the cuts will be made, with several hundred jobs expected to be axed in the BBC’s factual division, which makes programmes such as 'Planet Earth' and 'Top Gear', around 600 in news, 80 in sport as well as cuts in Scotland, Wales and in the corporation’s online business.

The plans include a 10% cut in the number of programmes commissioned by the BBC, leading to more repeats on television, and efficiencies of 3% a year across the corporation.

Director general Mark Thompson received unanimous backing for the plans by the BBC Trust yesterday, although staff attacked the trustees for “rubber stamping” cutbacks.

The BBC Trust also approved the sell-off of Television Centre, the broadcaster’s famous building in Shepherds Bush, west London.

A row blew up after unions claimed that 3,000 letters asking for volunteers for redundancy had already been printed, with this Friday’s date on.

Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: “This is clearly a provocative act and a sign that the BBC has no intention of entering meaningful negotiations because they have already made up their mind.”

Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of the broadcasting workers’ union Bectu, said sending out letters asking for volunteers for redundancy would be a “hostile” act which he warned could spark an immediate industrial action ballot.

Mr Dear accused the BBC Trust of failing in its duty to protect core BBC services, adding: “If the trust really believe quality news and current affairs is at the heart of what the BBC does, and viewers say such programmes are what they value most about the BBC, it makes no sense to sack hundreds of staff in these core services.

“It is an abdication of the trust’s responsibility to rubber stamp plans which will undermine quality and lead to the sacking of front line staff. It is inevitable anger will grow and calls for strike action get louder.”

BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons said: “After six months of very detailed work by the management and rigorous testing and challenge from the BBC Trust, we are confident that the plans we have approved today will safeguard the core values of the BBC at a time of radical and accelerating change in technology, markets and audience expectations.”

A six-year strategy approved by the trust included a commitment to a wide range of “quality” programme on television, radio and online, safeguarding the existing range of provision in BBC news and current affairs and creating “new ways” for new audiences to access BBC journalism.

The NUJ and Bectu will make it clear they will not accept any compulsory redundancies and will demand a risk assessment of staff left at the BBC after the cuts to make sure they can cope with any extra workload.

A source warned that strikes would be “inevitable” if these demands are not met.

Mr Thompson is expected to announce the creation of 1,000 new jobs to offset those being lost.

The cuts will amount to around 12% of the BBC’s total workforce but some departments could be facing reductions of 20%.

Paul Mason, NUJ representative on Newsnight, said: “Quality is being sacrificed to dross.”

Liberal Democrat media spokesman Don Foster said: “It’s hardly surprising that drastic changes are necessary to cope with the funding black hole, but it’s vital that those services for which the BBC is renowned – factual programming, drama and news – don’t suffer disproportionately.

“The government has made unreasonable demands on the BBC’s resources. It now seems that it will be many of the services that the public value the most that will pay the price.”