Four BECTU activists at the BBC have quit the broadcasting union and applied to join the NUJ – so they can take part in this week’s strike over pensions, according to The Workers United blog.
The four, who were members of the BECTU audio and music branch committee, are David Gallagher, who was joint branch secretary, Joti Brar, Tim Clarke, and Ben Toone. BECTU members are not taking part in the strike action after members voted to accept the latest pensions offer. NUJ members overwhelmingly rejected the deal in a ballot.
In an email to colleagues across the corporation, the four explained their decision: “The pensions issue is the most shocking and unreasonable assault ever made by BBC management on their staff...The current proposals mean a huge and unacceptable cut to the pensions of existing scheme members, and the imposition of inadequate stock market-dependent pensions for all future staff.”
The message to BECTU members says: “The BECTU leadership have effectively thrown in the towel and seem happy to let BBC management get away with their heist.”
They add: “The Bridlington agreement (by which trade unions agree not to poach each others' members) means we can't encourage you to leave one union and join another. But we can at least explain the reasons why we're doing so.”
The NUJ strike is on Friday and Saturday.
I'd like to ask the four ex-BECTU activists was it really worth it to jump ship? Why were the latest strikes pulled? Because, sadly, the NUJ leadership followed its membership rather than have the nous to lead. It then realised it was on a hook and needed to get off it asap.
ReplyDeleteSo guys - I hope that when the penny eventually drops for you and your NUJ colleagues - you will then realise that BECTU neither betrayed you or led you up the garden path. And, I'd hope you'd be welcomed back but that's your decision, of course.