BBC services were severely disrupted after a 48-hour walkout on November 5 and 6 by thousands of media workers. MorningStarOnline.co.uk said on November 5 the workers were fighting the corporation’s “pensions robbery”, which would result in payouts being dramatically reduced.
The corporation’s director general Mark Thompson claimed the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) strike had no impact, but viewers and listeners tuned into BBC radio and TV channels to find the flagship program off air.
Jon Kelly, NUJ shop steward at BBC News Interactive, told pickets the strike sent a message that “we are the BBC, it’s us that put this stuff out, it’s not the ones on £800,000 salaries like Mark Thompson”.
BBC business reporter Susannah Streeter told MorningStarOnline.co.uk that, apart from the stars on screen, “a lot of members of the BBC aren’t very highly paid. It’s their pensions that are being eroded and that’s really why we are out here”.
The union confirmed its members would strike again over November 15-16 unless the dispute is resolved, MorningStarOnline.co.uk said.