Report from the BBC world service picket line

Striking BBC world service journalists were celebrating taking all the station's news programmes off air today.
While strike-breakers were able to compile short bulletins the longer Radio 4 style news shows were all scrapped and replaced with pre-recorded repeats.
Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) have walked out for 48 hours over changes to their pension scheme which will see some people have their pay-out cut be a quarter.
At lunchtime around 70 journalists and their supporters rallied on the steps of the world service's Bush House headquarters in London.
They heard speeches from NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear, world service newsroom rep Mike Workman, and George Binette bringing solidarity from the Camden branch of the local government union UNISON.
Pickets were in good spirits and pleased with the public reaction to their dispute.
Although the BBC pension scheme covers all the workers only the journalists are on strike.
Members of the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph, and Theatre Union (BECTU), the BBC electricians' union Unite, the Musicians' Union, and the actors' union Equity voted to accept the new scheme after some changes were won by the threat of industrial action.
However - as reported exclusively on The Workers United - some BECTU activists have swapped to the NUJ to support the strike.
In Newcastle tweets from the picket line reported that a significant number of BECTU members have refused to cross. The same story was coming from Southampton and Cornwall.
Across the UK the NUJ was getting support from members of other unions - and comedians Alan Davies and Robin Ince tweeted that they wouldn't be crossing picket lines to appear on BBC programmes.
Belinda Affat, a Unite rep at The Guardian print centre, visited the world service picket line and said: "It was very uplifting to talk to the strikers. I would encourage other trades unionists to visit their local BBC centre and offer support."
Picket lines and messages of support
Pictures and updates from the NUJ

Activists swap unions to join the BBC pensions strike

Four leading BECTU activists at the BBC have quit the general broadcasting union and applied to join the National Union of Journalists – so they can take part in this week’s strike over pensions.
The four – until today members of the BECTU audio and music branch committee – explained their decision to colleagues across the corporation in a 1,500 word email.
David Gallagher, who was joint branch secretary, Joti Brar, Tim Clarke, and Ben Toone have jumped ship because BECTU – the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematgraph, and Theatre, Union – are not taking part in the pensions strike after members voted to accept the deal.
Their email says: “The pensions issue is the most shocking and unreasonable assault ever made by BBC management on their staff.”
Because: “The current proposals mean a huge and unacceptable cut to the pensions of existing scheme members, and the imposition of inadequate stock market-dependent pensions for all future staff.”
The message to BECTU members says: “The BECTU leadership have effectively thrown in the towel and seem happy to let BBC management get away with their heist.”
It goes on: “Without explictly campaigning for members to vote 'yes', they did everything in their power to push members in that direction.”
The four say: “The Bridlington agreement (by which trade unions agree not to poach each others' members) means we can't encourage you to leave one union and join another. But we can at least explain the reasons why we're doing so.”
The former BECTU committee members have invited their colleagues to attend “drop-in advice sessions” this week at two London BBC buildings – Bush House and Henry Wood House.
They apologise to any BECTU members who feel let down by their decision but say: "The anti-trade union laws make it very hard for BECTU members to support striking NUJ members. The only way we can make a real difference is by joining the NUJ and taking full part in their industrial action. "
Both unions agreed to ballot members on the latest BBC pension proposals without a recommendation.
But - as first reported on The Workers United - leading NUJ members supported a rank-and-file campaign for a no vote.
The NUJ strike is on Friday and Saturday.

BBC pension figures denounced as a sham

The leader of the National Union of Journalists is calling on the BBC to abandon a planned cut to staff pensions and come clean about the true finances of the corporation’s pension scheme.
Unions have been leaked figures – drawn up for the BBC by financial consultants – which put the pension deficit at just under £1 billion.
In previous public statements BBC bosses have said the deficit would be £2 billion.
The pension scheme’s actuaries are believed to be quoting a figure of £1.5 billion.
The amounts are different because some things are variable – like the length of time pensioners will live.
The actuaries and the BBC will have to agree on a final figure
Jeremy Dear, NUJ general secretary, said: “The BBC sought to sell it's pensions robbery by claiming it had to plug a £2bn deficit. If today's figures are true, that has now been exposed as a sham. The BBC's credibility is in tatters and their justification for these punitive changes completely undermined. The BBC must come clean.
“The BBC should re-start negotiations with everything on the table.”
Members of the NUJ, the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU), and Unite working for the corporation have already voted more than 90 percent in favour of strike action over changes to the pension scheme.
BBC workers are voting in a consultative ballot on whether to accept a new offer.
There is a rank-and-file campaign for a no vote as The Workers United reported on Sunday.
DECLARATION:
I am a member of the NUJ. I have worked for the BBC but I am not e member of the pension scheme.

Synchronised ballots have created a chance for unions to work together

The opportunity for co-ordinated union action against the massive cutbacks in the UK economy grew yesterday.
London firefighters voted heavily in favour of strike action over plans to sack them all and re-employ then on less favourable contracts.
The regional committee of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) will meet today to discuss possible strike dates.
As this blog predicted on Sunday BBC union activists have now launched rank-and-file campaign to encourage a no vote in the ballot over new pension proposals.
Read their leaflet
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Broadcasting. Entertainment, Cinematograph, and Theatre Union (BECTU), and Unite have already held ballots to allow lawful industrial action at the BBC.
The Rail, Martime, and Transport union (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) have an ongoing dispute on the London underground over job cuts.
On Wednesday (October 13) RMT members who work on tube fleet maintenance voted by 88% in favour of industrial action short of a strike over cuts which the union says have left brakes and other equipment in a lethal state of disrepair.
More than 2,000 UK border agency staff, members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) held a two day strike this week over changes to rosters and roles.
In anticipation of this rash of disputes the Trade Union Congress - the umbrella organisation for British unions - passed a resolution calling for co-ordinated action against cuts in jobs, pensions, and public services.
COMMENT:
Strikes are about winning for ordinary workers. The best way to do that is to co-ordinate action to cause the maximum disruption for employers.
Britain's complicated trade union laws make it difficult for unions to synchronise legal strikes.
Having all these ballots completed at once gives a rare chance for joint action.
Union leaders need to talk to each other to stop the TUC resolution from being empty rhetoric.
FBU, NUJ, PCS, and RMT are all part of the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group, which doesn't have a website, but which brings togther a group of eight unions that pledge to work together on things like parliamentary lobbying.
This would seem to be a good time to co-ordinate.

NUJ says members will reject BBC pension deal

Further to my story about a rank-and-file campaign to reject the BBC's latest pensions proposal the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has now predicted a no vote in the consultative ballot which is about to start.
The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph, and Theatre Union (Bectu) and Unite are also balloting members over the offer.
BBC workers will work-to-rule on October 22 as some action must be taken to keep their ballot alive under the UK's restrictive trade union laws.
COMMENT:
A big no vote from all three unions will give strength to their negotiators and confidence to everybody if the threatened strike action goes ahead.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) - the umbrella organisation for unions in Britain - voted for co-ordinated action against cuts. Are any other workers going to join the BBC in taking action?

BBC workers organise their own campaign over pensions

Rank-and-file trades unionists at the BBC are to launch a campaign for a no vote in the consultative ballot over a new pension deal.
A strike was postponed last week after the corporation improved plans for a career-average pension to replace the final salary scheme which covers most employees.
Reps from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU), and Unite agreed to consult members – without making a recommendation about whether to support the new deal.
Anger amongst BBC staff, who are losing thousands of pounds of pension rights they thought they had earned, has not been eased by the new offer – which will take seven pages to explain in documents to be sent out with ballot papers later this week.
A meeting of the NUJ Left on Saturday – attended by the union’s general secretary Jeremy Dear and president Pete Murray – agreed to support reps from all unions around the corporation who want to campaign for a no vote.
The plan is for leaflets arguing for a no vote are to be drawn up and handed out around the BBC’s offices all over the UK and the world.
The aim is to give BBC workers who don’t like the deal the confidence to vote no.
The NUJ ballot was due to start last week but was delayed because the BBC wanted to revise its “final offer”.
COMMENT:
This is a vital dispute to defend the whole concept of decent workplace pensions – especially in the public sector.
BBC workers who oppose the new pension scheme should keep voting no even if they are wary of striking.
A big no vote will be a negotiating tool for the three unions even before any industrial action takes place.
DECLARATION:
I'm a member of the NUJ and the NUJ Left. I have worked for the BBC but I'm not in the pension scheme.