As a result of months of concerted effort by the Branch and the threat of collective action, acceptable resolutions have been achieved for all members who faced compulsory redundancy as a result of the New Business and Entertainment pillar restructure.

ESPG branch had served notice of an industrial action ballot on BBC Studios and Post Production and issued ballot papers.

The employer made a legal challenge to the validity of the ballot, which therefore was halted.

Prior to re-starting the ballot, BECTU continued to put pressure on the employer to work with the remaining individuals to mitigate the impact of their redundancy.

This resulted in some additional agreements for individuals and the notice of industrial action ballot was withdrawn at the end of August.

This follows strike action on 12 August 2010 at Elstree, held in protest at Studios and Post Production management proposals relating to changes in travel time and expenses connected with a change in base from Television Centre to Elstree.

For more details see the BECTU site.

Members took action yesterday (12 August 2010), and further stoppages are planned for Friday 20 August, Thursday 26 August and Wednesday 1 September.

Members are contesting the BBC Studios and Post Production’s management decision to remove long-established entitlements to travel time and expenses connected with a change in base from Television Centre to Elstree.

For more details see the BECTU site.

This follows consultative ballots in S&PP (Studios and Post Production) in which ESPG members overwhelmingly rejected both the New Business and Entertainment Pillar proposals, which could result in nine compulsory redundancies, and plans to change the base of those working on EastEnders to Elstree.

During recent negotiation, S&PP management rejected all union counter-proposals which had been tabled in an attempt to reach agreement.

Two ballots will now be held, which will close on 30 July 2010 – members are being recommended to vote yes for industrial action, and action short of strike action, to oppose both sets of proposals.

New Business and Entertainment

S&PP management have refused to extend the consultation period for nine members at risk of compulsory redundancy

BECTU have been in consultation with S&PP on restructuring within the New Business and Entertainment Pillar since the end of March 2010, which has resulted in 63 post closures and the creation of 19 new posts.

Whilst the majority of these post closures have been achieved through a combination of voluntary redundancy and redeployment into these newly created roles, there are nine members who remain at risk of compulsory redundancy, many of whom have now been served notice of dismissal.

The union believes that the majority of these posts, including Stage Door Co-ordinators, Scenic Supervisors and Stores Operatives, are still required going forward and would augment and improve the revised new structure.

The union proposed that these roles be retained in order to ensure that the duties and workloads of our members and the operational requirements of the business remain reasonable and realistic.

This would give the new system some required flexibility and also afford the opportunity to review the process at a later date, particularly in light of the future uncertainty and restructuring surrounding Salford.

Unfortunately management rejected this proposal and felt that there was no requirement for any of these roles in the future.

The union then proposed that the consultation period be extended by one month in order to maximize the opportunity for redeployment into other areas of the BBC.

Whilst S&PP maintain they are committed to doing everything they can to find them work within the BBC, the union is concerned that by serving notice of dismissal management are falling short of their obligations to members to mitigate any compulsory redundancies.

Elstree base

S&PP management are proposing to implement the change of base from Television Centre to Elstree for those working on EastEnders, with no cushioning period, from 1 August 2010.

Two sets of proposals tabled by the union during negotiation, covering core hours and uplifting basic salaries, have been rejected by management.

The management position is that the proposed reduction in hours would not work on East Enders operationally due to scheduling.

They also maintained that any uplift in salaries is not viable and were not prepared to investigate this further.

The union is extremely disappointed by the S&PP management position and their unwillingness to resolve this issue amicably.

The Branch will be holding a members meeting at Elstree next Thursday, 8 July 2010, at 1900 to discuss the situation in more detail.

Further meetings are also being organised at Television Centre, which will be announced when arrangements are confirmed.

Industrial action ballots

Two ballots are to be held with will run concurrently – one covering all S&PP members concerning New Business and Entertainment, and one covering the Elstree base proposals.

This will mean that members on the Drama pillar will receive two ballot papers.

Both ballots will open 9 July and close 30 July 2010, with papers being sent to home addresses.

The union has been in consultation with BBC S&PP (Studios and Post Production) regarding restructuring of the new business and entertainment and drama services.

This has led to a significant number of post closures although the majority of these have been achieved through a combination of voluntary redundancies and new posts being created.

However, there is a shortfall with several members remaining at risk.

BECTU is opposed to any compulsory redundancies of union members and believe that there is sufficient operational and business case justification to retain those roles which remain at risk alongside the new structure.

At a meeting on 7 June with management ESPG proposed that individual consultation periods be extended and move towards serving notice being postponed in order to maximize the potential to avoid any compulsory redundancies by reviewing these remaining post closures and consulting on redeployment and other ways of mitigating these potential job losses.

Unfortunately S&PP have rejected the proposals and, whilst they will be honouring their obligation to avoid compulsory redundancies during this period, the consultation period itself will not be extended.

This means that for those with three months contractual notice this could be served as early as 29 June 2010.

The Branch feels these timescales are too short and would inhibit the opportunity to avoid these redundancies and consult further on the restructuring.

As a result the union has registered a failure to agree and will be meeting S&PP next as part of the avoidance of dispute procedure.

The union will also be commencing a consultative ballot for industrial action and will be urging members to vote in favour.

A failure to agree has also been registered on the change of base proposal for those in the drama pillar.

To discuss the issues in more detail members meetings are being arranged, including one at 1300-1430 in Room B050 TC on Tuesday 22 June.

A meeting with Zarin Patel, Studios and Post Production Chief Financial Officer, has been described as ‘constructive’ by BECTU General Secretary Gerry Morrissey.

For more details see the BECTU site.

Nomination forms [pdf 84KB] for candidates to serve on the new Committee are being distributed to ESPG members.

This is the first stage of the annual election of the ESPG Branch Committee.

The deadline for nominations is 1200 on Friday 4 December 2009, and if more than 15 valid nominations are received a ballot for election will follow.

The first meeting of the new Committee will agree the Branch Chair, Secretary and other Branch officers.

Nominations are open to BECTU members in the following areas covered by ESPG:

• Post Production
• CCA
• DOC
• Television Studios

It is important that all of these areas are fully represented on the ESPG Committee.

Each nomination must be supported by two ESPG members. Please note that nominees, proposers and seconders must be fully paid up members of BECTU ESPG Branch; and nominees must be willing, and agree, to be nominated; and for each nominee all sections on the relevant nomination form must be completed correctly.

These staff had their salaries capped at 115% of their grade floor, and have reached this ‘cap’ some years ago.

As a consequence their salaries are not able reach the level of those they work alongside, doing the same job, who joined Resources before 2000.

The ESPG Committee believes this is fundamentally unfair.

The meeting will take place at 1100 on Monday 20 July 2009 in Green Room 3, Television Centre.

Members of the ESPG Branch Committee are organising the social for all current staff, as well as spouses, partners, colleagues, and many retired staff.

Download the invitation [49Kb pdf]

The party is a follow-on from the “official” farewell in a studio earlier that evening,  which is open only to existing staff.

The union will be buying members their first drink, and it is hoped that entertainment will be laid on at the event, due to start at about 1930 on June 16th. The Club bar is scheduled to close at midnight – one hour later than normal.

More than 100 staff are leaving Studios and Post as a the result of a cost-saving restructuring, not counting more than 90 others who have been TUPE transferred back into the BBC.

Text of the invitation to branch members:

As you probably know by now, there is a farewell party on the evening of June 16 to say goodbye to over 100 staff who are leaving due to redundancy.

We’re planning to continue the party that evening in the BBC Club at TV Centre, and an invitation is attached. It will be open to all Studios & Post staff, but union members will have the added advantage of a free drink.

Partners, spouses, colleagues, and retired staff are all welcome.

Among the modest entertainment we hope to lay on is a collection of historic photos capturing the work of members in Studios and Post over the years. If anyone has material that could be included, please contact one of the following:

• Tony Lennon (tony.lennon@mcr1.poptel.org.uk)
• Roger Mullins (bectthree@hotmail.com)
• Nick Carroll (nickespg@yahoo.co.uk)
• Henry Gibson (henry.gibson.email@googlemail.com)

However a handful of potential compulsory cuts is still being negotiated, and the union is not claiming that all cuts have been voluntary yet.

More than 90 of the Post staff who have left employment in BBC Studios and Post Production (S&PP) were TUPE transferred into the BBC itself, after the union argued that although their sections, in Birmingham, Bristol and London Current Operations, were closing, their work would continue elsewhere in the Corporation.

The union has praised both management and local representatives for cooperating over the cuts, and coming up with cost-saving solutions that avoided compulsory redundancies.

Talks will continue over the unachieved redundancies, thought to be fewer than six, until a final review of the situation takes place in September 2009.

Meeting with management

BECTU representatives met BBC S&PP management yesterday (12 May 2009) for further discussions about company’s restructuring and job cuts.

It emerged at the meeting that, thanks to effort and imagination on both sides, the number of potential compulsory redundancies had been reduced to roughly half a dozen, most of them in the Post Production Assistant category.

Given the success to date of the joint union/management strategy of using redeployment, promotion, reorganisation, and other means of achieving cuts without compulsory redundancies, management were willing to defer any selection process in categories where there were too few volunteers in order for local discussions to continue.

The threatened compulsory redundancies have not formally been taken off the table, but no members are at risk at the moment, and by the time the union meets management to review the situation, probably in September, we hope that further cuts will have been achieved by voluntary means.

Members who volunteered for redundancy, whether or not there were job cuts in their categories, will now be approached by management to establish whether or not they are still interested in leaving.

No promise has been made that any staff will be allowed to leave, but management want to examine each application case-by-case to determine whether the company could get by without the individual, provided money could be found for redundancy payments etc.

The company said yesterday that it was possible that a budget could be found for some redundancies.

Deteriorating position

BECTU raised the question of the “preferred suppliers pool”, and the planned use of employment agencies to engage some categories of staff who are not defined as Schedule D tax-payers by HRMC.

We have been promised a written explanation of how the system will work, and hope to report more fully to members once we have sight of it.

Management emphasised at the meeting that the process of change within the company will continue, driven partly by the deteriorating trading position of Studios and Post, where work is apparently drying up almost on “a daily basis”, as the union was told yesterday.

Branch Representatives are already expecting discussions on scheduling practices in Post Production, and although the union has not yet been alerted to further job cuts by management, it is reasonable to assume that the merger of Studios and Post could lead to further reductions among middle management and support staff.

Earlier this year management renamed BBC Resources to become BBC Studios and Post Production, and reorganised the management structure.

The discussions over the cuts, which began in December 2008, have not only taken ESPG very close to the union’s objective of achieving any redundancies by voluntary means, but have also given an insight into the company’s detailed finances and trading challenges.

Union officials found examples where the costs of operating parts of the company on a commercial basis within the BBC were exorbitant, and instances where BBC producers were taking work was being taken outside, while the in-house facilities subsidiary sat idle.

Without intervention from the BBC, which is SS&P’s outright shareholder, the company will continue to struggle with rent charges that are far above market rate, and other imposed overheads that none of its competitors have to deal with.

At the highest level

BECTU now plans to raise, at the highest level within the BBC itself, the problems facing SSS&P, and will be proposing that the Corporation should take one of two strategic steps:

• Devise mechanisms and protocols which ensure that programmes do not take work out of house, or even do it themselves, unless the in-house company is at capacity.
• Acknowledge that programme departments are building up their own facilities bases locally, go on to close the corresponding, and competing, parts of Studios and Post, and TUPE transfer the staff affected back into the BBC.

The union knows this will jar with the company’s own hopes that an internal solution can be found within S&PP, which everyone obviously hopes will happen.

However the union representatives are now convinced that the problems facing the company are too severe to be solved by further cutting one of the few parts of its cost base where it has full control – namely the staff wage bill.

Union representatives will continue local discussion on the remaining few un-achieved redundancies, and there will be another report once the management/union review has taken place later in the year.