Second BBC strike suspended

A second BBC-wide strike has been suspended following 20 hours of talks
between unions and management.

Members of Bectu, the NUJ and Amicus had planned to walk-out for 48
hours from Tuesday. A first 24-hour strike on Monday, May 23, led to
widespread disruption of news programmes.

Talks finished at 6am this morning with the BBC promising it will be
“flexible” in meeting union demands.

The industrial action centres
around BBC director general Mark Thompson’s plan to cut 4,000 jobs from
the corporation.

In a statement the BBC said: “The BBC believes an opportunity to
resolve this dispute is now in sight following 20 hours of talks at
ACAS and a face-to-face meeting between the Director-General and
representatives of the unions.

“We welcome the unions’ decision to
suspend next week’s industrial action whilst they
consult their members.
The BBC has tried to be flexible in meeting the unions concerns and we
very much hope that this is the first step in what will be a productive
relationship with the unions in the coming months.

“The BBC would like to thank ACAS for their generous assistance today.
The BBC will make no further press statements until the unions have had
an opportunity to consult their members and formally respond on 31 May.”