BBC staff agree 12-hour March job cuts strike

• BBC journalists and technical staff to strike over job cuts, workload and claims of bullying and harassment

• Corporation’s management criticised over “ill-conceived and badly-implemented cuts programme”

• 12-hour strike to be held on March 28

Ms Stanistreet said: “Members are taking strike action next week in a clear message to the BBC that it needs to listen to its staff and properly address the problems created by their ill-conceived and badly-implemented cuts programme.

“It is disappointing that once again the BBC has decided not to properly engage, refusing our call for a moratorium to give space for meaningful discussions on the worrying impact of the cuts.

“BBC executives know they’ve got a major problem on their hands - the recent investigation into bullying and harassment has lifted the lid on a problem that has been allowed to grow to shocking levels, under the noses of senior executives supposed to be responsible for upholding BBC values.

“Compulsory redundancies being pushed through at the same time as jobs are being advertised externally is not just bad management, it’s a waste of licence fee money.

“The BBC is adamant that the cuts are having no impact on quality. NUJ members know this is bunkum.”

Mr Morrissey said: “Staff concerns about overwork and bullying and harassment are genuine and it’s clear to us that any manager who tries to dismiss these concerns is out of touch. Staff at all levels in the BBC are under acute pressure to deliver and the simple truth is that workloads are beginning to take their toll on staff well-being.

“We believe that the BBC needs to take stock of the impact of cuts under DQF and that that time has come. For this assessment to be genuine, all redundancies have to be put on hold and sadly our members have been forced into a strike ballot to press their case.”

Helen Ryan, Bectu’s supervisory official, said: “BBC members across the country have voted for a campaign of industrial action in protest at the current management regime, which is asking staff to compromise their well-being on several levels.

“Contrary to earlier statements, management is forcing the burden of DQF on to staff and some staff are now close to breaking point.”

A BBC spokesman said: “We have had constructive meetings with the unions in recent weeks and agree that it is important to monitor how our staff are affected by the savings we are making.

“However, our position on compulsory redundancies remains the same, we must progress with those given the significant savings we have to make and strike action simply will not change this.

“We continue to work extremely hard to redeploy staff and have already succeeded in redeploying nearly double the number of people that have been made redundant. We hope with such a low turnout and relatively small numbers voting for a strike that the unions will reconsider taking industrial action.”