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Will BBC walkout disrupt the Commonwealth Games
soapfan_1973
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BBC staff are staging a one day walkout next Wednesday which is the opening day of the Commonwealth Games. Will the BBC have enough staff and technicians in Glasgow to make sure the Games do not get disrupted or do you think there will be a small chance of some events being dropped or shown as highlights rather than live?
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BBC OBs were sold off some years ago so the crews are not BBC employees and unlikely to take part in any industrial action.
Sunset and Vine is the host broadcaster for the CG. Most of the people working on it are freelancers, and practically none are union members.
Then that signal will be sent to RedBee for playout again they are a separate company to the BBC now as are the code and MUX companies and the company that runs the transmitters!
So the BBC can broadcast the games without any of their own staff from camera to transmitter now!
Would it mean that BBC 1 Scotland and BBC 2 Scotland will join BBC 1 and 2 network for more of the time?
The unions are quoted figures of around 80% voting for strike action but only 42% of BECTU members voted so leaves a lot who did not vote. NUJ are not giving figures for the numbers who voted which suggests it was low.
There should be a law that says that a union cant strike unless at least 51% of members vote and vote for a strike, so if the turn out is lower than 51% the the vote is thrown out and if only 51% vote then it has to be a unanimous vote for the strike.
I imagine that there would be less strikes, as the unions would have to convince their members that a strike is worth it!
More or less, yes. The BBC is reduced to the role of a publisher, welcome to 2014.
As already said, the BBC are not responsible for covering the games, they are not the host broadcaster, so the situation is the same as it would be if the games were in another country. I suspect most of BBC commentators are non union, only those that are journos may not make an appearance for the games.
The walkout will affect BBC News more than regular programmes but they will probably just draft in freelance cover like they have done in the past.
Yes, apparently its a consortium of Sunset & Vine and Global Television with "the support of 120 students" according to Bill Rogers blog
Enjoy your lie-in guys.
It annoys me when people call for this given the shoddy turnouts in governmental elections over the years. (PCC elections being the best example of this)
Although I do agree with you that unions do need to communicate better to their members.
Well I would make political voting compulsory like in Australia and big fines for ether not voting or spoiling your ballot paper (that would require that they trace those that did spoil ballot papers though, that is totally possible but currently illegal so would have to be made legal for this situation only!)
This would ensure that the whole of the electorate has to vote and make a proper choice of whats there on the ballot paper!
I think that employers would have to give their employees extra time off to allow them to vote if necessary on voting days, like say 1 or 2 hours less working time!
Ian.
If a 'none of the above' option was allowed there could still be a situation where more than 50% of people choose that option!
So are their votes chucked meaning that essentially we would be in the same situation albeit that its recorded rather than those people not turning up?
I think a radical change in the way candidates are able to get on the ballot paper is needed so there is more choice.
How about that each political party pay an annual sum to the body that run elections UK wide and any party could then put a candidate up in any constituency instead of them paying a deposit, then for independents they could register themselves as a political party with one member and pay a light yearly rate allowing them the option of being put up as a candidate for a greatly reduced amount compared to now.
OK we could get some right loonies on the ballot paper in this way, but at least there would then be no need for a 'none of the above' option, if people dont like any of the main parties!
And just to say I am a member of a political party.
In Australia although voting is compulsory, anyone is entitled to spoil their ballot paper.
Ian.
I always miss Today when the strikes come but always hope that no-one breaks the strike as has happened in the past.
It's OK to have a day away from it anyway, just like the, in this year especially, short break we get from football.
It might result in people voting for the loonier parties, like UKIP, Liberals etc, just a protest.