BBC strike threat at cut to £16 meal allowance

BBC journalists are threatening to strike over plans to cut their evening meal allowance from £16 to £10.

At the moment, staff are allowed to claim £16 of licence fee payers’ money on expenses every time they have a late shift. But bosses want to cut this by £6, saving an estimated £300,000 a year.

The reduction comes as the BBC is battling to save £800million a year in costs.

It has already slashed its sports budget, pledged to cut its news budget by £80milllion and is currently eyeing up which channels and services to axe.

And under proposals first put forward last October, bosses are trying to stop staff spending licence fee payers’ money on luxuries they could do without or that they should arguably be paying for themselves.

Corporation chiefs want to ban employees from taking first class trains. They have also told staff to stop using taxis in central London, and to take ‘public transport wherever possible’.

Furious journalists now claim they are being unfairly forced to subsidise the BBC from their own pockets.

In a statement, the National Union of Journalists said: ‘Staff say the cut to expenses will mean they will be subsidising the BBC from their own wages.’

The NUJ, together with the unions Bectu and Unite, have warned the BBC that staff are ‘very angry’ and could ballot for strike action if the controversial proposals are not withdrawn.

Sue Harris, NUJ national broadcasting officer, said: ‘Why should our members pick up the tab? These are legitimate expenses which staff incur as they do their jobs often during unsocial hours.

‘ The talks to discuss the changes of rates have been a farce and our patience has run out. Our members are angry and if the management insists on foisting this unfair deal, we will be a balloting for strike action.’

The unions suggested that the BBC could instead make the savings by slashing car perks for senior executives, which cost the broadcaster £344,000 last year.

High-brow TV channel BBC4 is likely to be axed to save money, following on from BBC3, which was taken off air earlier this year.