Strike while the cuts are sharp

Here is a paragraph taken from a story on BBC News about a proposed strike by NUJ and BECTU union members working for the BBC.

The BBC is expected to try to minimise disruption if the strike goes ahead but Bectu has said previously they would seek "black screens and dead air".

Bectu said it would "do everything we can to make sure any programmes that are going out are badly affected".

That bloody annoys me, the BBC is a bleeding edge organisation that is trying to reduce it's size. Unfortunatly the few thousand union members that are afraid of change because 'we've always done it that way' are trying to spoil things.

The bit that annoys me the most is that they want 'black screens and dead air' - how does that help the licence fee payer - you know the little guy that pays your wages?

A job at the BBC is a privelidge not a right, just because in the past you might of had a job for life and worked in an employees market-place times aren't going to stay the same for ever.

If the BBC doesn't reform its structure and become small enough to adapt to a rapidly changing market place quickly then pretty much everyone at the Beeb could be out of a job in 10 years if the Charter doesn't get renewed next time.

Half of Bectu's 5,000 members at the BBC voted, with 77.6% in favour of striking.

Among NUJ members, 83.9% were in favour after almost two thirds of the union's 3,500 BBC staff members cast their ballots.

I for one will do everything I can in my little corner to make sure things go as smoothly as possible for the people sat at home watching.

But then again everything is automated now, I doubt they will get their black screens, the general public probably won't even notice a change - unless they target a major live event - even then freelancers will sort the strike problem out.

This is the 21st century, I think it's about time we put this silly striking nonsense behind us, confine it to the 1980's and move forward.

And anyway most the cuts will be made in voluntary redundancies and natural staff turnover so I don't know what the unions are getting so heated about.

Another blogger talking about this is Badly Dubbed Boy.

See also BBC to cut 2000 programme jobs and Strike Q&A from BBC News Online, BBC Staff Threaten Strike Action and Wimbledon and Proms face BBC strike threat from the Guardian, as well as a story in the Telegraph, the Times, Forbes, CNN and more...

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