Strike Rally to Take Place at BBC Scotland HQ

The BBC Scotland HQ at Pacific Quay is to be the scene of a rally, in support of members of the NUJ at the Corporation, who have gone on a 24-hour strike.

The industrial action is over job losses at the Corporation and another 24-hour strike is scheduled for the 29th of this month.

There are 100 posts being made compulsorily redundant – with around half at the BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring – amid fears that a further 1,000 may soon follow, as the Corporation copes with the implications of a frozen TV licence fee, agreed with the UK Government last year.

It is understood that two BBC website posts have been earmarked for compulsory redundancy in Scotland.

The 24-hour strike follows a ballot on whether members should be taking a stance on any compulsory redundancies.

Three are set to be made on Monday, hence today's 24-hour action. A further 20 are set to be made just after the 29th. 

“We have tried to do things in stages,” the NUJ's Peter Murray told allmediascotland.com, “and offered to go to arbitration, but the BBC has said no. Which is why we are on strike today.”

Among the BBC programmes affected, there are no regional opt-outs this morning during BBC One Breakfast.

Says a BBC statement: “We are disappointed that the NUJ has gone ahead with today's strike and apologise to our audience for any disruption to services. Industrial action does not alter the fact that the BBC is faced with a number of potential compulsory redundancies following significant cuts to the central Government grants that support the World Service and BBC Monitoring.”

Murray is a news and current affairs producer at BBC Scotland. He is a recent former president of the NUJ.

He added that the deal that led to the frozen TV licence fee requires to be investigated, urging Prime Minister, David Cameron, to “come clean” on to what extent he felt under pressure by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp to reduce the BBC's budget. 

The rally is taking place at 10.30am.