BBC: New offer must be rejected

ON 23 May thousands of BBC staff, members of three different trade
unions, took strike action. This was not just to defend their jobs but
also to save public-sector broadcasting from privatisation and to defend
the concept of public services as such.

Christian Bunke, NUJ joint branch secretary, Manchester

Picket lines throughout the country were youthful, lively and
combative, sending a militant message to BBC director-general Mark
Thompson and the government: "We won’t accept your cuts, we will
fight."

Then, at the last minute, came the announcement that the two-day
strike from 31 May to 1 June was called off. Union leaders put the
following to BBC shop stewards at a meeting on Tuesday, but
"without proposing acceptance of the offer": BBC Resources
will not be sold until 2007. The sell off of BBC broadcast is going
ahead, but unions can consult with the bidders. No compulsory
redundancies until 2006.

This "offer" doesn’t solve anything. NUJ, BECTU and AMICUS
members should vote against it. If accepted, the BBC would still be up
for privatisation, there would still be massive job cuts after 2006. The
fight to save public-sector broadcasting has to continue.