The BBC Trust has today ‘unanimously approved’director general Mark Thompson’s plans for the future of the corporation, giving the green light to job losses expected to number around 1,800.
Chairman Sir Michael Lyons said after a meeting in Central London that the trustees had been unanimous in approving plans drawn up by director general Mark Thompson aimed at filling a £2 billion funding shortfall.
Lyons said the plans, which could mean 600 job cuts in news and a further 600 in factual and learning which include current affairs, were “definitely” in the best interests of the BBC. A total of 2.800 jobs are expected to be cut but with the creation of around 1,000 new posts as part of Thompson’s six year plan.
Thompson will now meet unions tomorrow morning before a media briefing and a meeting with all BBC staff at 10am.
Related
Unions are gearing up to ballot for industrial action, which could mean a strike in the run up to Christmas.
The NUJ has claimed that letters asking for voluntary redundancies at the BBC are to be sent out this Friday. The union claimed that the letters were already prepared with Friday’s date on them, indicating that the corporation had no intention of entering into meaning negotiations over job cuts”.
NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said the letters would ‘make a mockery’of any BBC proposals for consultation.
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