BBC journalists will resume a work to rule and look set to announce further strike action after rejecting plans aimed at resolving a row over cuts to local services.
Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) working in TV, online and radio at BBC Local (England) voted by 56% against plans put forward by the corporation.
NUJ members took part in 24-hour strike in March over plans to cut local radio services.
#NUJ members at BBC Local working in tv, online and radio have rejected the BBC’s revised proposals. A meeting of BBC Local reps will take place this week to consider next steps. #KeepBBCLocalRadioLocalhttps://t.co/8BaIY63dCx
— NUJ (@NUJofficial) May 9, 2023
A work to rule action paused while the NUJ consulted members will resume and a meeting will be held later this week to consider strike action.
Paul Siegert, NUJ national broadcasting organiser, said: “Members have made it clear that without a fair proposal that keeps BBC local radio local and stops the output being drastically cut, strike action will continue.
“We urge management to listen to what their own staff are saying, along with politicians from all parties and 5.7 million listeners.
“It is vital the BBC return to negotiations with a proposal that keeps its millions of listeners at its core, recognising the huge role journalists play in delivering these much-loved programmes.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We’re obviously disappointed with the result of the NUJ ballot. We will continue to engage with the union as we have done over the last few months in an effort to minimise the impact on our staff and our audiences.
“We have a plan to modernise local services across England – including more news journalists and a stronger local online service – which will see no overall reduction in staffing levels or local funding.
“Our goal is a local service across TV, radio and online that delivers even greater value to communities.”
