BBC Lay Reps blog

Report of Chair Nations and Regions SDC

This report covers the areas to which I am allocated, which does not include the whole of the English Regions or any of the Nations.

In my previous reports, I have criticised Management at BBC South West for poor Industrial Relations. It would seem that our efforts have begun to bear fruit, with the HRLP recently holding out an olive branch to our Branch Reps to find ways to improve their working relationship. I hope this initiative is successful!

Meetings

In Audio and Music Division, I’ve been dealing with a Creative Future related closure and restructuring of Radio Resources in Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester. A poorly devised plan, poorly implemented by Managers who seemed unprepared. This is still work in progress, with a possibility of compulsory redundancies still lurking in the wings. Also in Birmingham, Radio 2 moved their weekday overnight programming down to London, relocating 4 staff (volunteers). The first few days were not without problems. Those remaining are still not sure what they will be working on.

In English Regions there was a flurry of meetings around Creative Future proposals, mainly affecting Open Centres and Buses. Work is still ongoing, but at this stage two bus drivers have been served final notice.

In World Service a large part of the business has been negotiating the launch of the Arabic TV service. Initial lengthy meetings over Rotas and Job Descriptions for Journalist grades were exhausting. When we started the technical/operation discussions things went more smoothly. In the latter part of 2007, as the service started it’s dry runs, issues over technical staff rotas arose. This was resolved to the satisfaction of the members, with an interim solution. It proved a fruitful recruiting opportunity too.

The reorganisation of the Broadcast Support Service at Bush House, which brought together Maintenance Engineering and IT support, started in late 2006. There were several meetings in 2007, and there are still outstanding issues.

In BBC Monitoring at Caversham I attended the Branch AGM as well as formal Liaison meetings. We need to recruit and strengthen the Branch at Caversham since it has dwindled in numbers over the last few years.

In Sport, the BBC discovered that there were huge disparities between TV and Radio staff’s overtime claims. This led to a review, which discovered that TV staff were working to local arrangements. We were advised that Sport would come into line with BBC core conditions, and that would have an impact on TV staff earnings, particularly when on OBs.

At a meeting to discuss this, the Unions proposed special arrangements for the Olympics and other pre-planned sporting events in the near future, where staff could not now withdraw. This was agreed. As a result of these changes however, other issues are becoming significant, such as paid travel time when staying at Hotels many miles away from the venues (to save on accommodation costs). It may be some time before this matter is resolved, and it may even go into dispute.

In BBC Workplace (renamed from BBC Property), two events have been playing out this year. Firstly a reorganisation of the London based project team. We have low membership, and only three members were affected. In the end all were resettled in new posts.

Workplace also manage the Facilities Management contracts with Johnson Controls International and Hayden Building Management Ltd. The latter covers English Regional sites. However, not all sites were 100% HBML. Workplace instituted a review (called Project Windsor!!) with the intention of outsourcing all remaining areas to Hadens.

Despite vociferous complaints and well reasoned arguments from our members, which we put to the management, it came as no surprise to learn in March that the outsourcing would go ahead. 90 or so people including Security in Birmingham, Front of House and FM staff in Bristol, Catering and the FM Call centre staff in Manchester, Cleaning staff in Norwich, Southampton, Lincoln and Derby, and Catering staff in Newcastle and Leeds would all transfer to HBML. BBC Woodnorton will be switched from a HBML contract to JCI.

BECTU has made stringent demands over the TUPE conditions, and at the time of writing we are due to meet formally to hear what Pension provision is offered as well as a response to our other terms. This process has been notable for a lack of Management co-ordination, an inability to understand what consultation means, and the lack of ability to use plain English in their communications. It has been agreed that there will be a 90 day consultation period, which suggest a transfer of staff would take place in June 2008.

Project NEXT, the process to retain the remaining technology areas in-house, has also been progressing. Having saved our members from being outsourced to Siemens, the BBC broke new ground by involving BECTU in confidential working parties to discuss and help shape their proposal to the Board to save money and reorganise Broadcast Technology through to 2015. We knew that post reductions were inevitable as part of this process, but actively engaged with a view to mitigating these, and hoping to avoid any compulsory redundancies.

In January 2008 the headlines of the plan were made public to affected staff. I am now the lead official in the next phase, with work streams on various different aspects of the plan. The first tangible event is the announcement that Bristol CTA (switching centre) will be closing by October 08. The plan will seek post reductions, but so far we do not envisage any compulsory redundancies.

As a result of the close examination of the technology arrangements, News are re-organising the way their News Helpdesk is run. This will mean longer hours of operation and hence a change to the Rotas. It’s early days in this process, but members are already unhappy.

Personal cases

I met and supported some 21 members at 48 meetings. A number of other cases are pending responses to Grievances or Appeals.

The dissolution of Case Management to the various divisions of the BBC has led to mixed results. In some cases, the quality and speed of response has greatly improved, in others it’s fallen to an all time low. It would appear now to be very individual dependant.

As part of the January dispute avoidance agreement, one of the working parties with the BBC will be covering case management and HR. I have been asked to lead for BECTU in this area.

Pensions

As a Member Elected Trustee of the BBC Pension Fund, I attended 22 days worth of meetings in the period of this review. The introduction of SmartPensions led to a flurry of correspondence from members, confused by the BBC’s documentation and communications. Whilst BECTU officers struggled to get clarity from the BBC, Member Trustees made it clear at trustee Board that the poor quality of documentation was not acceptable. The Director of BBC People said he “noted” the criticism. BECTU has now sent clarification to members.