Bectu urges members and the public to sign BBC petition
Bectu is urging its members and the wider public to sign a petition to stop the government continuously attacking the BBC.
BBC Broadcasting House, London
The Save our BBC petition on 38 Degrees is being supported by Bectu, the largest trade union within the BBC.
Head of Bectu Philippa Childs who signed the petition said:
“These continued attacks on the BBC and veiled threats about its future are deeply worrying.
“There are clearly some parts of government that have a fixed agenda of undermining one of the UK’s most well-regarded institutions.
“The arguments and briefings that are coming out of 10 Downing Street at the moment are driven by political ideology rather than knowledge of the contribution the BBC makes to the creative industries and the country.
“Bectu will be campaigning to ensure that the BBC is able to maintain its position as the leading international public service broadcaster that has enough resources to inform, educate and entertain. We need as many people as possible to sign this petition.”
Bectu’s membership covers 80% of the roles in the BBC and has consistently highlighted the financial pressures the BBC is under. At the end of January 450 job cuts were announced in news and another set of job losses were also announced in radio. Bectu has started discussing how these proposed changes will be handled and if they can be minimised.
Since then the government announced it was launching a public consultation into decriminalisation of the licence fee. The consultation will be closing on 1 April and Bectu will be publishing its formal response in the coming weeks.