BBC insiders say strikes are “inevitable” as staff react angrily to content cuts

EXCLUSIVE: BBC insiders say it is inevitable that British workers will stage their first major strike in more than a decade as they protest content restrictions.

Broadcaster employees are furious at proposals to cut local TV and radio programs across the country and believe it is only a matter of time before they are given a strike mandate.

Should workers down their tools, they will join a long list of workers taking industrial action across Britain in another ‘Winter of Discontent’ following similar mass strikes in 1979.

BBC workers last week held an advisory strike vote over the company’s plan to cut nearly 50 jobs in local services. Radio content is being phased out while the BBC is being phased out We are Englanda local documentary TV show.

Members of the National Union of Journalists said they would overwhelmingly support strikes. About 80% said they would support a strike, while 90% said they would prefer action other than a strike, including work on the book.

Following the vote, the BBC this week made proposals to reduce cuts at local radio stations, although the concessions did not cover cuts to redundancies. NUJ members are now voting on whether to accept or reject the BBC’s offer. If they refuse, the union will initiate a formal strike vote.

“Strike action is inevitable,” says a source. “[The BBC concessions] sent the members into a tailspin – I was furious. A second person familiar with the process added: “There was a lot of anger at what the BBC was taking out on staff… Early indications are an overwhelming rejection of the proposal.”

BBC staff have not held a major strike since 2010, when there was a 48-hour strike over a pension dispute. flagship shows, among others news evening and breakfastcame out of the blue when star presenters such as Fiona Bruce joined the protest.

The BBC argued that local content funding would be retained, but £19m ($23.7m) of resources would be re-prioritised from traditional broadcasting services to online and multimedia productions to “work to keep pace with changing audience expectations”. This includes spreading local news online and investing in investigative reporting.

The company held extensive consultations on the plans and said it would do whatever was necessary to avoid redundancies. The 48 jobs to be eliminated represent 2% of the 2,200 employees in local services.

Jason Horton, BBC Local Production Manager, said: “Our aim over the next 12 months is to modernize our BBC Local services in England to strengthen our online offering to communities across the country. We have listened carefully to the feedback we received about the proposed changes to BBC Local Radio programmes. We are therefore making a number of changes to the original plan to achieve the best possible balance between live and on-demand services.”

The local content changes follow a package of cuts the BBC announced last year as it sought to plug a £1.4bn ($1.7bn) funding gap after its license fee was frozen last January.