BBC strike ends – but more to come
By Ian DUnt
The BBC strike ended this morning, but more stoppages are being threatened for Christmas and New Year.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) went on strike on Friday and Saturday over changes to the BBC pension scheme.
Some big-name presenters crossed the picket line, including Andrew Neil, Jonathan Dimbleby and Robert Peston.
Today programme presenters Evan Davis and Sarah Montague went to work on Saturday, allowing the show to be broadcast. It had been off air on Friday morning.
But the vast majority of big name staff had respected the strike action.
The union is looking at the possibility of starting legal action against management.
Three minute news bulletins went out during the two-day strike, which had originally been pegged to occur during the Conservative party conference.
The battle comes just as BBC director general Mark Thompson is struggling to quell internal dissent over the spending cuts imposed by government.
Many critics of the BBC believe the cuts, which amount to 16% over four years, were not as tough as they had expected.
The BBC narrowly escaped having to pay for over-65’s free TV licences, which would have translated into 25% cuts over the period.
Instead, it will have to fund the World Service, which was previously paid for by the Foreign Office.
