Pro video blog…Produced by Philip Johnston DoP/Editor

Strike

Now I am better informed here is a more factual account…BBC employees wages have been frozen by austerity cuts for many years now whilst we continue to see executives, managers and senior ‘government appointed’ BBC trust members help themselves to salaries and benefit packages that would make Donald Trump jealous, this is primarily why BBC employees are hacked off and threatening strike action.

Jimmy-Gordon

Why I no longer belong to a union ?

I was once in the ACTT and while working in Radio Clyde we were called to a union meeting in the board room…”STV are out on strike how do we plan to follow this” was the battle cry of the union leader…then Jimmy Gordon entered the room the MD of Radio Clyde and said “If anyone from this station goes out on strike you will be dismissed” and walked out the room.

Deathly silence then Colin the union rep stands up and says “OK lads it’s clear none of us want to lose our jobs so we will write to STV and tell them they have our full sympathy but unfortunately can’t follow them with strike action”.

That was the last time I attended any union meeting and had nothing but admiration for Jimmy Gordon for bringing a potentially bad situation to an abrupt halt, this was thirty years ago  seemingly this would not happen today.

BBC-Scot

Conclusion… 

BBC Employee “As to the timing of this proposed 12 hour walk out, unfortunate maybe, but threatening coverage of high profile events WILL make management take notice, threatening transmission of the 9 O’ Clock news and Eastenders WILL NOT.”

HDW : This blog started off very biased towards union touting “we want more money” greedy workers to a more informed blog about an ordinary, overworked workforce who have watched management take the cream while the technicians etc get the scraps.

Sadly this happens all over industry, the managers get the Audi’s, bigger salaries and all the perks while the under appreciated workers get a bus home, the BBC like the NHS has an abundance of overpaid management levels stuck in their rooms with never-ending pointless meetings trying to justify their right to exist.

It’s poor in 2014 when a workforce is so undervalued that the word strike and unions raise their ugly heads less than a week before the Commonwealth Games and worse still having to use the games as your only bargaining chip…WAKE UP BBC MANAGEMENT….TALK TO THE PEOPLE WHO MATTER…AND STOP HIDING BEHIND COMMITTEES AND MEETINGS !

UPDATE : BBC strike called off pending a successful day of renegotiations. Union members to be consulted regarding new pay offer. So the Commonwealth Games opener will be transmitted as normal.

 

author

Having been working in the video business since 1988 I have amassed a great amount of knowledge of both the kit and production values over the last 30 years.

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