Thompson's cuts campaign
Latest news headlines
More BBC job cuts
BBC News has announced 108 job cuts with BECTU members making up around 50% of the total.
26 September 2006
BBC pay and pensions deal accepted
BECTU's BBC members have voted to accept a 2.8% pay increase and watered-down changes to pension benefits.
11 August 2006
New BBC offer goes to vote
Unions are running a consultative ballot on a revised pay and pensions offer from the BBC.
19 July 2006
Strike ballot planned at BBC
Unions are to run strike ballots over pay, pensions, and job cuts, among members at the BBC and its subsidiaries.
10 July 2006
Victory for Engineering Training
The BBC has announced that plans to out-source Engineering Training have been scrapped after a long opposition campaign.
4 July 2006
Capita staff strike at BBC
Dozens of ex-BBC staff now employed by Capita in West London have joined a one-day strike.
30 June 2006
Outsourced members to strike
Members outsourced to Capita are to strike because of the company's refusal to allow them to continue working on the BBC contract.
22 June 2006
85% vote for Capita strike ballot
BECTU members in BBC Human Resources have voted by 85% to be balloted for industrial action.
31 March 2006
BBC redundancy plans condemned
BBC plans to issue compulsory redundancy notices as part of BBC cutbacks has been condemned by unions.
29 March 2006
DG receives training petition
The petition on the proposed privatisation of BBC Engineering Training has been presented to DG Mark Thompson.
24 March 2006
Training outsourcing petition
A petition is being run on the proposed privatisation of BBC Engineering Training.
14 March 2006
Radio AP role introduced
Members in BBC Radio have accepted revised proposals on changes to job descriptions by a slim majority.
4 March 2006
Ballot begins on new BBC Radio offer
Members in BBC Radio are being asked whether they will accept revised proposals on changes to job descriptions.
17 February 2006
Two months more to cut redundancies
Negotiators have been given an extra two months for talks on Mark Thompson's Value for Money job cuts.
5 February 2006
Talks extended on BBC job cuts
Unions have won another round of discussions over a threat of more than 200 compulsory redundancies.
13 January 2006
Action looms over Radio job plans
Unions could ballot for strike action in Radio & Music Division, if members reject a new multi-skilled job description for a second time.
3 January 2006
Kingswood Warren to be axed
Decades of history look set to end with the closure of the BBC's Research Department in Kingswood Warren.
3 January 2006
BBC cuts one year on
One year on from the announcement of major cuts at the BBC, talks are still going on in areas facing change.
3 January 2006
Talks could run into 2006
Talks on BBC plans for more than 3,000 job cuts now look set to continue into the New Year.
18 November 2005
BBC Broadcast sell-off approved
Culture Minister Tessa Jowell has approved the privatisation of BBC Broadcast to Australian bankers.
26 July 2005
Members accept BBC offer of job talks
BECTU members across the BBC have voted to accept a formula for negotiations on job cuts tabled by the Corporation after a strike.
4 July 2005
Call for talks on BBC sell-off
BECTU has called for urgent talks with government after a shock announcement that the sale of BBC Broadcast has been agreed.
27 June 2005
BBC peace offer goes to ballot
BECTU plans to run a consultative ballot of BBC members on a package tabled at ACAS after the May 23 strike.
9 June 2005
Ballot begins on BBC's ACAS offer
Thousands of BECTU members in the BBC have begun voting on a proposal to end a dispute over job cuts and privatisation.
28 June 2005
BBC peace offer goes to ballot
BECTU plans to run a consultative ballot of BBC members on a package tabled at ACAS after the May 23 strike.
9 June 2005
BBC unions call for more talks
Unions have called on BBC Director-General Mark Thompson to convene a further meeting with officials on an ACAS peace plan.
1 June 2005
BBC strike action suspended
A planned 48-hour stoppage at the BBC has been called off while unions consult members on a new peace offer.
27 May 2005
ACAS calls in unions and BBC
Government conciliator ACAS has stepped into the BBC industrial dispute by inviting unions and management to talks at their offices.
24 May 2005
Unions wait for BBC's next move
After a one-day strike hailed at the most successful for many years, the unions are poised for the BBC's response.
24 May 2005
BBC strike gets underway
Members of BECTU, NUJ, and Amicus have walked out of BBC buildings at the start of a 24-hour stoppage.
23 May 2005
DG joins the propaganda war
An all-staff e-mail from Mark Thompson is the latest volley in a war of words, as BBC strike action approaches.
20 May 2005
BBC propaganda starts before strike
Unions have issued a rebuttal to e-mails being sent to BBC staff by managers ahead of a 24-hour strike on May 23.
19 May 2005
Hardship fund opened for BBC dispute
BECTU has created a hardship fund to ease the financial difficulties of members who support strike action, particularly those on low pay.
19 May 2005
BBC unions plan four days of strikes
Unions have named May 23 as the first in four days of strike action against cuts and privatisation at the BBC.
13 May 2005
Ballots back BBC strike action
BECTU's members in the BBC have voted for industrial action against plans for cuts and privatisation.
11 May 2005
Last few days in BBC ballot
Union representatives across the BBC are reminding members that their industrial action ballot closes on May 11.
5 May 2005
Members give support to BBC ballot
At meetings across the UK, BBC members have supported a union decision to launch a strike ballot.
1 May 2005
BBC strike ballot kicks off
Industrial action ballot papers are due to be mailed to BBC union members from April 22 onwards.
22 April 2005
Strike ballot planned over BBC cuts
BECTU, NUJ, and Amicus, are poised to begin a vote for industrial action after BBC redundancy talks reached deadlock.
13 April 2005
DG steps into BBC cuts dispute
Mark Thompson, BBC Director-General, has invited unions to a crisis meeting in a bid to head off a strike ballot.
4 April 2005
Ultimatum goes to BBC subsidiaries
BBC Broadcast and BBC Resources have received a union demand for concrete guarantees to staff if they end up being privatised.
29 March 2005
Unions threaten strike over BBC cuts
BECTU, NUJ, and Amicus plan to ballot BBC members for industrial action if the management press ahead with redundancies.
23 March 2005
Thompson piles on more BBC misery
Another 1626 redundancies have been announced at the BBC, bringing the Director-General's target for job cuts to 3780.
21 March 2005
Bidders line up to grab Broadcast
More than 70 would-be buyers have expressed an interest in BBC Broadcast, according to the company's management.
18 March 2005
Cuts mean more work for BBC staff
Many BBC employees who escape redundancy in the current round of cuts will have to pick up the work of others who leave.
16 March 2005
1000 BBC staff sacked by VHS
BBC chief Mark Thompson has used a video cassette message to announce the Corporation's biggest-ever jobs cull.
10 March 2005
Guarantees demanded in BBC sell-off
BECTU has tabled demands for protection of staff in BBC Broadcast Ltd, a wholly-owned BBC subsidiary threatened with privatisation.
9 March 2005
9 March 2005
Clear message to DG from BBC staff
Thousands of BBC staff today showed their opposition to cuts planned by Director-General Mark Thompson.
2 March 2005
BBC campaign day on March 2
Unions are asking BBC staff to show their opposition to plans for cuts and privatisation this week.
28 February 2005
Union cuts fears go to BBC governors
Concerns about Mark Thompson's cuts and changes at the BBC have been sent directly to the Corporation's Governors.
27 January 2005
BBC Broadcast may be sold by August
The BBC's TV playout company could be privatised some time this summer, according to managers at a negotiating meeting with BECTU.
18 January 2005
Boycott of BBC's Manchester survey
BECTU members affected by the BBC's move out of London have been advised not to complete management questionnaires. 14 January 2005
BBC accused of rushing cuts through
At the second meeting to discuss BBC cuts, managers revealed that detailed plans could be considered as early as January 2005. 16 December 2004
A case of "details to follow later"
Detailed information about the impact of BBC job cuts was surprisingly scarce at the first negotiating meeting. 10 December 2004
Unions plan fight against BBC cuts
The BBC's three staff unions have launched a campaign against savage redundancies and budget cuts which were announced today. 7 December 2004
Massive cuts announced at BBC
More than 3,000 jobs are threatened with redundancy in a sweeping programme of cuts at the BBC. 7 December 2004
Thompson cuts prompt recruitment drive
BECTU has been handing out membership forms to BBC staff in a bid to boost the union's bargaining strength when cuts talks begin. 6 December 2004
Last updated 26 September 2006