BBC stands firm in NUJ pensions row

The BBC has said that there is "no more money on the table" for a new pensions offer, despite the National Unions Of Journalists warning that further strikes could take programmes off the air over Christmas.

BBC television and radio shows were disrupted on Friday and Saturday because of a 48-hour walkout by thousands of members of the NUJ. Another 48-hour strike is planned to start on November 15.

The NUJ - which went ahead alone with the strike action after fellow unions, including Unite and Bectu, accepted the BBC's final pensions deal - has threatened to disrupt programmes over Christmas and the New Year unless the BBC returns to talks.

Jeremy Dear, the NUJ general secretary, today said that the union would suspend its industrial action if BBC management agreed to negotiate a deal after the pensions fund deficit was properly assessed.

The BBC has proposed the changes to its pensions scheme on the basis of the deficit being at least £1.5 billion, but the NUJ believes that it could be as low as £1bn.

Speaking to Sarah Montague on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dear said that the NUJ wants a fair offer from the BBC that protects the pensions already earned by employees.

"We think the best way for the BBC to do this is to wait until the pension deficit has been properly assessed and then sit down with the pension trustees on a workable long-term plan," he said.

"The problem we've got is that the BBC doesn't even know the size of the deficit, so how can they come up with the right solution to address it?"

Dear claimed that the other unions accepted the BBC's final pensions deal "reluctantly", while there was plenty of support for last week's strike action, including many non-NUJ workers deciding not to cross the picket lines.

However, BBC human resources director Lucy Adams stressed that the BBC has agreed a deal with the other unions and would stick by that.

Also speaking on the Today programme, she said: "We have a deal with the majority of staff. We have said there is no more money on the table. I would not break faith with the other unions by doing a separate deal with the NUJ."

Adams said that the BBC has agreed to re-start talks with the unions if the pension deficit turns out to be significantly lower than £1.5bn.

However, she warned that even if it's around £1.3bn the BBC would still have to cut jobs and services when it starts paying down the debt from June next year.