Tech staff vote for strike at BBC

Four out of five BBC Technology staff represented by the broadcasting union Bectu have voted in favour of industrial action in protest at the sale of their division.

Of the 68 per cent of Bectu-affiliated staff who voted, 83.8 per cent voted in favour of industrial action. Bectu represents a quarter of BBC Technology's 1,400 staff.

Bectu representative Luke Crawley said: "This result is absolutely as expected. Staff are very angry about the sell-off and do not believe it is justified."

Union officials will consult with members before giving the BBC notice next week of the action it intends to take.

"We believe we will need to have a dramatic demonstration to send a signal to the BBC about how angry our members are," said Crawley. "The ballot entitles us to hold a full-out strike through to work-to-rule action."

The BBC confirmed that it had been notified of the results of the ballot, but said that it had not yet been given official notice of any strike action.

"We are now in final contract negotiations with Siemens Business Services for the procurement of a new Technology Framework Contract and sale of BBC Technology, and are in full consultation with Bectu during this time," it said in a statement.

"The BBC has prepared contingency plans to ensure cover for affected areas should strike action take place."

The vote to strike comes only a day after Bectu entered into negotiations with Siemens to obtain guarantees on employment terms, conditions and pensions for BBC Technology staff.

The BBC confirmed Siemens as the single preferred bidder for the sale on 7 July, and initiated the talks between Siemens and Bectu as a result of the impending ballot, launched a month ago.

Crawley confirmed that Bectu would continue the talks, but said that he was "very concerned about the speed of the timetable enforced on us and Siemens by the BBC".

He maintained that the BBC's plan to complete the handover of BBC Technology and its staff in less than a year was hasty.

Bectu wants a three-year guarantee on the current terms and conditions, and is demanding staged pay increases at 2.5 per cent above inflation over the same period.

The sale will cover BBC Technology's broadcast engineering, satellite and desktop infrastructure services and provide a 10-year, £2bn managed service back to the BBC.