BBC techies to strike during Olympics

The walkouts threatened by BBC Technology staff are to go ahead - and it will be right in the middle of Auntie's coverage of the Olympics.

Union Bectu (broadcasting entertainment cinematograph and theatre union) has announced it's chosen two dates for its strike action. The first strike will fall on 30 and 31 July, with the second walkout on 13 and 14 August.

The union said it believes the BBC will be "hard-pressed" to continue normal service during the walkouts - especially as 13 August is the opening day of the Olympics, traditionally a ratings winner for the Beeb.

The union has called the strike, following the BBC's decision to outsource its tech department to Siemens, because it feels its members are being forced into making important decisions too quickly and without all the necessary facts, according to Bectu's assistant secretary general, Gerald Morrissey.

Apart from the union's objection to the outsourcing as whole, major sticking points have been the timetable and the pension terms for the union's members.