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BBC workers vote for 48-hour strike against plans on local radio cuts

BBC journalists in England have voted to stage a 48-hour strike in opposition to the broadcaster’s revised plans for cuts to local radio, their union said today.

The strike on June 7 and 8 will coincide with a lobby of Parliament by National Union of Journalists (NUJ) members at the BBC as part of a campaign to “keep local radio local” and get MPs to put pressure on the broadcaster over the changes.

Staff will also work to rule, which includes refusing to stand in for more senior colleagues.

The NUJ said that the BBC’s plans to “modernise” local services would lead to redundancies and cut communities off from local news.

Some concessions were made in talks brokered by conciliation service Acas, but they did not go far enough, the union said.

National broadcasting organiser Paul Siegert added: “Many of our members who have had to reapply for their jobs and face redundancy have had a very bruising and upsetting time.

“They feel this has been very badly managed by senior managers.

“This fight is about the heart of the BBC’s public service remit.

“Local news is vital, not just so people can be informed to be able to participate in local democracy. It binds communities together and for the many who will not be able to access local news digitally, they will lose the familiar presenters who have become their friends.

“Local radio is not expensive in terms of the BBC’s budget and we believe that the BBC could easily solve this dispute.”

A BBC spokesperson said that the corporation was disappointed by the NUJ ballot result but would continue to engage with the union.

The plans will “see no overall reduction in staffing levels or local funding,” the spokesperson claimed.

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