F&L jobs victory

Factual and Learning compulsory redundancies have been avoided.

A major round of job cuts in Factual and Learning, producer of award-winning programmes like "Blue Planet", has been concluded with no compulsory redundancies.

At a final meeting on 23 April 2002 BECTU agreed to 68 voluntary redundancies in General Factual and Arts in a deal which saw management withdraw plans for a further 61 job cuts.

As well as accepting that nobody should be sacked unwillingly, F&L managers promised to give permanent posts to 35 staff on fixed term contracts, and agreed to a review of other staff on long term acting.

In November last year F&L announced almost 130 post closures, prompting the union to warn that compulsory redundancies would be fiercely resisted. A volunteers' trawl, due to end in January, was extended at BECTU's request, but once all the applicants were counted up, there was still a threat of forced redundancies among producers.

April's agreement removes the sword from above their heads, although up to six Producers from Documentaries and Arts can apply for voluntary redundancy at any time in the future.

BECTU welcomed the management's willingness to agree a compromise.