John Varney plays down threat of blank screens as union prepares to strike
Published:
24 July 2004 y., Saturday
The head of BBC Technology has played down staff threats to blank TV screens during the opening of the Olympic Games in protest at the corporation's £2bn plan to sell off its technology arm.
BBC head of technology John Varney talked down the likely impact of strike action by broadcasting union Bectu planned for later this month and the opening weekend of the Olympic games in August.
He said: "We expect the impact [of any strike] to be slight. This is not long, protracted industrial action. These are pieces of short industrial action."
The strikes will take place on 30/31 July and 13/14 August. Varney said that continuity plans and a "whole set of measures" were in place to prevent blank screens.
He said that preparation for events such as the Olympics were set up days or weeks in advance and would not be affected.
Varney also said he felt the two sides had moved closer to an agreement over the sell-off, which will see IT services firm Siemens Business Services take over BBC Technology.
Bectu is to hold a consultative ballot on 29 July on a new offer made to staff earlier this week before going ahead with strike action.
Šaltinis:
vnunet.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
A specific EU budget line for the new EU stabilisation mechanism should be created as soon as possible, to ensure its credibility, Council, Commission and Parliament negotiators agreed at a three-way meeting on Wednesday.
more »
New EU rule will help phone-users avoid astronomical bills for web-surfing and downloads abroad.
more »
The Communication approved today by the Commission builds on the principles presented on 12 May to reinforce the economic governance in the European Union.
more »
Eurostat report just published shows that the crisis has brought some lower taxes.
more »
New legislation is needed to ensure fair returns to farmers and transparent prices to consumers, by enforcing fair competition throughout the food supply chain, said Agriculture Committee MEPs on Monday.
more »
Fish imports play a crucial role in supplying the European market, yet fisheries and aquaculture are strategic sectors that do not lend themselves to a purely free-trade approach, believes the EP Fisheries Committee.
more »
I will support every proposal that strengthens cooperation among the European Union's Member States and serves Lithuania's interests," President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė said at the meeting with EU Member States' ambassadors resident in Lithuania.
more »
The fourth World Lithuanian Economic Forum “High tech innovation & investment: local to global” will start in London on 22 June.
more »
Lithuania aims for the five Nordic countries and three Baltic States to become single community of values, which would be linked by a versatile quality of democracy, security and everyday life.
more »
MEPs decided on Wednesday to create a special committee to prepare for the EU's next long-term budgetary framework.
more »