“The effects of a crisis created on Wall Street are being used as an excuse by BBC management to launch an attack on workers.
And they are using the concern created by the government and some parts of the media about public sector pensions to drive them through.
Management want to get the changes through before the Hutton review releases its findings so they are not bound by new guidelines on public sector pensions.
The NUJ wants to see management take the proposals off the table.
The idea that BBC journalists are ‘featherbedded’ is completely untrue.
People don’t see the huge benefits that senior management get.
Staff thought they would retire with a pension worth having, but the plans have angered everyone, right up to mid-level management.
These attacks have a knock-on effect.
The public deserves to have the best people working in the BBC and public broadcasting.
Attacks like these means that junior staff, who are already relatively low paid in comparison to the responsibility they have, will leave and others won’t want to join the workforce.
My members want there to be a cap of £50,000 a year on management pensions—who could possibly need more than that to live on?
Where I work at TV centre we think there will be a solid turnout.
But management are already on the attack.
They have targeted 300 NUJ members, querying their membership.
They clearly want to adopt the tactics of BA boss Willie Walsh.
It’s important that union members stand solid and together.
We can make management take the loaded gun away from our heads.
We’ve already got a pay freeze and if we don’t stand firm on this then the BBC management will make further inroads into our terms and conditions.”
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