BBC IT staff to strike over outsourcing

Members of trade union Bectu (Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union) have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike following the news last week the BBC will be outsourcing its technology division to Siemens.

Over 80 per cent of BBC technology staff affiliated to Bectu voted in favour of strike action after the German company wouldn't meet its demands over pensions and guarantees of jobs for current BBC workers.

Bectu asked Siemens to guarantee that no BBC technology employees would be made redundant within three years but the company would only guarantee a one-year period before it would be able to introduce compulsory redundancies.

The union also demanded that terms and conditions remain the same for three years and for a pension scheme as the same as that at the BBC.

Siemens will introduce a "broadly comparable" pension scheme but turned down the 'no changes request' and equally said no to a request for 2.5 per cent above inflation pay increases for the three years.

The changeover is scheduled to take place on 1 September. However, according to Bectu, the "timeframe is too short and members have voted for industrial action in a bid to extend it", saying that it needs more time to work out its differences with Siemens.

While Bectu doesn't intend to pull out of further negotiations it will be announcing its plans for strike action this week.

The union has also expressed fears that the BBC's agreement with Siemens will unfairly affect the Beeb's future procurement exercises, removing the need in some areas for a competitive tender process.