Journalists at the BBC will be asked whether they want to strike after being told compulsory redundancies could not be ruled out.
BBC News staff were told last week around 100 jobs would be cut in the latest cost-saving measures, contributing £5.5m to its target of £51m.
The BBC has also said it needs to reduce headcount in its Nations division by around 250 full-time posts, saving £33m, of which £9.1m will come from BBC Local, affecting about 90 roles in local radio and regional TV news provision.
Overall the BBC has said £500m of savings need to be made over the next three years (equating to around 10% of its annual costs). Other recent announcements included the closures of BBC Scotland (including the News at Seven), BBC Three and BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Avoiding compulsory redundancies at the BBC has historically been a red line for the National Union of Journalists and has led to strikes on multiple other occasions.
BBC deputy director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said on Wednesday the corporation has received formal notification from the NUJ over a plan to ballot its members for strike action “in relation to concerns over compulsory redundancies”.
Journalists could also vote to take action short of a strike.
Talfan Davies told staff in a memo seen by Press Gazette: “This is clearly a disappointing development, though we obviously respect the right of all Trade Union members to participate in a ballot.
“Over recent months, we have had extensive and constructive discussions with the NUJ and been clear that we will do everything possible to minimise compulsory redundancies. We’ve backed that up with action too – a large majority of the redundancies agreed to date have been achieved on a voluntary basis.
“But faced with a £500m financial savings challenge and significant operational pressures, we cannot offer a guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies.
“Whilst we will continue to do everything possible to minimise this, the reality is that no organisation of our scale and complexity could offer such an undertaking and it would inevitably compromise our service to audiences if we did.”
The BBC’s published policy is that it will “try to find ways of avoiding compulsory redundancies”.
The ballot will be held between 3 to 24 November, meaning any industrial action would take place in December at the earliest – potentially affecting regional news output ahead of Christmas.
Talfan Davies said: “Until the outcome of the ballot is known, it’s business as usual – but clearly we will begin planning work to anticipate any future industrial action.”
NUJ general secretary Laura Davison said: “Whilst our engagement with the BBC is ongoing journalists will now choose whether an industrial action mandate is required.
“Incessant cuts at the BBC go beyond statistics, having a real-life impact on the passionate, talented journalists at the broadcaster. Previous redundancy rounds have led to the loss of experienced workers and left those who remain with unmanageable workloads and fewer opportunities, causing lasting damage to staff morale. It’s clear that this cannot continue.
“The NUJ is steadfast in its commitment to members voting to determine their right to strike. We are clear that industrial action is always the final resort; what we need now is for decision makers at the BBC to recognise the commitment of its staff, returning with an offer that addresses unacceptable compulsory redundancies and member concerns about the impact of these swingeing cuts.
“As crucial next steps are considered, it is incumbent on our public service broadcaster to act now and stop the damaging cuts neither its journalists nor licence fee payers deserve.”
The last strike by BBC journalists took place in May as staff from World Service programme Newshour and Radio 4’s The World Tonight walked out over plans to force them to work shorter but more frequent shifts.
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