No new negotiations with NUJ says BBC

The Director General of the BBC has told staff that there will be no new negotiations with the National Union of Journalists.

On Friday and Saturday last week the NUJ staged a 48 hour strike which disrupted BBC News output. The Director General Mark Thompson has sent an email out to BBC staff thanking everyone who helped ensure that the disruption to the service was minimal. In a e-mail obtained by the Media Guardian, Thompson said “First I want to thank everyone who helped ensure that the disruption to our services to the public last Friday and Saturday was kept to a minimum. There was less disruption on the second day of the stoppage than there had been on the first, and overall less disruption as a result of this strike than during the last big stoppage in 2005.”

 

Thompson added that they will continue to do their best during the next round of strikes and any other action the NUJ have planned. “We are putting in place plans to handle both of these and will seek, if possible, to offer the public programmes and services from the BBC with even less disruption than last week. That will be the case however many strikes there are.”

 

Last Friday the disruption to BBC News services were notable, with Radio 4 having to cancel the Today programme, and replacing it with recorded programming. BBC One’s Breakfast just managed to get a full programme out, presented by an unfamiliar face, Gavin Grey. Former GMTV presenter Emma Crosby and LBC newsreader Chris Rogers were on hand to present the main BBC One news bulletins

 

Thompson went on to say that they will not enter new negotiations with the NUJ. “We cannot and will not enter fresh negotiations or contemplate fresh changes to the agreed offer on pension reform no matter how much industrial action there is from the NUJ.”

 

The next walk out is due to begin on the 15th November