Iain Dalton, Yorkshire Socialist Party
Hot on the heels of the unofficial walkout by football pundits and commentators over Gary Lineker’s suspension, BBC local journalists in the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) walked out in a 24-hour strike, from 11am on 15 March.
Local radio and TV channels across the BBC were forced to play messages explaining that planned programming had ceased due to the industrial action, taken over the plans to reduce local radio broadcasting on weekdays by eight hours, to just 6am-2pm, rather than at 10pm at present, and with no content at all on weekends.
This is supposedly justified on the basis of providing more digital content. Strikers on the picket line in Leeds explained that they’re not against greater production of digital content, in fact proposals for digital content often don’t get taken up by managers. But as a picket in York explained, increased digital content won’t come from cannabilising local radio and forcing workers to reapply for their own jobs.
As BBC York NUJ Father of Chapel Richard Staples told the Socialist: “The BBC’s plans will bring long and lasting damage to local radio. NUJ members’ determination was shown by the superb support for the strike. We’re now working to rule and want senior managers to begin meaningful talks with our officers about our union’s counter-proposals.”
