BBC REDUNDANCIES

Early day motion 1071, tabled 12 February 2013 by Austin Mitchell (Labour). Signed by 37 members.

That this House is concerned that the BBC is refusing to enter into meaningful negotiations with the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) on behalf of its members and is instead insisting on compulsory redundancies of BBC journalists rather than the redeployment of posts under an agreed scheme as requested by the NUJ; notes that despite extensive efforts by NUJ representatives and officials, a number of workers across BBC Scotland, the Asian Network, Newsbeat, News, Five Live, the Big Screens, the World Service and English Regions still risk compulsory redundancy as part of the Delivering Quality First programme which plans more than 2,000 job losses across the corporation; believes that in externally advertising six-month contracts to journalists who do not work for the corporation, at the same time as failing to secure redeployment opportunities for workers at risk of compulsory redundancy, some managers, such as those at BBC Scotland are failing to uphold key aspects of the redeployment agreement, let alone the spirit of the deal; and therefore calls on the BBC to enter into genuine and meaningful negotiations with the NUJ as a matter of urgency in order to resolve this dispute and considers that failing that strike action on 18 February 2013 by NUJ members in the BBC would be both inevitable and justified.

Signatures by party: Labour 24, DUP 3, Plaid Cymru 3, Social Democratic and Labour Party 3, Alliance 1, Green 1, Independent 1, Liberal Democrat 1.