The BBC has offered to discuss the future of 13 journalists on BBC Three’s scrapped Liquid News bulletin.
The offer comes after the NUJ went into official dispute with the broadcaster when it issued notices of compulsory redundancy if alternative jobs were not found within five months.
Roger Mosey, head of television news, will meet with representatives from the NUJ and broadcasting union Bectu, who will seek to secure jobs for the journalists.
The NUJ went into industrial dispute at the start of the month after it warned the BBC not to issue the compulsory redundancy notices.
“We wrote a stiff note to Roger Mosey and he wrote a conciliatory note back saying the BBC wanted maintain good relations with the unions,” said NUJ spokesman Pierre Vicary. “He requested an informal chat with the unions. After this meeting we’ll have a better indication of where things are going.”
The BBC announced in November that Liquid News was to be scrapped.
The NUJ felt that alternative jobs would most likely be found for the 13 journalists before the September deadline imposed by the broadcaster, thereby rendering the compulsory redundancy notices unnecessary.
By Wale Azeez
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