[IMC-bristol] Strike ballot over BBC Arabic service sackings

[Tony Gosling]

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BBC journalists to ballot for strike over sackings

http://www.nuj.org.uk/front/inner.php?docid=3D477&doctypeid=3D8


March 7 2003

Three thousand BBC journalists are to vote on taking strike action over the=
=20
sacking of two NUJ activists at the World Service.

Union reps from 60 BBC workplaces met in London for three hours and voted=20
unanimously to condemn BBC senior management and to call for action over=20
the unprecedented sacking on 19th February of two members of staff in World=
=20
Service Radio's Arabic Section.

The two journalists =96 a Palestinian, Adli Hawwari and an Iraqi, Dr=20
Abdul-Hadi Jiad -- never received a disciplinary hearing, were never warned=
=20
they were under investigation and were denied union representation as well=
=20
as their contractual right to appeal.

Today's unanimously passed resolution said the decision, taken by=20
Director-General Greg Dyke and the top World Service and Personnel=20
managers, was "in flagrant breach of long established BBC agreements with=20
the unions on the conduct of the disciplinary process. It sends a chilling=
=20
warning to all BBC staff that from now on, anyone can be summarily=20
dismissed in a similar fashion.

The meeting also condemned the BBC for its carefully orchestrated attempts=
=20
to "demonise" the two sacked journalists in the national press, and for=20
then issuing an unprecedented email sent to many thousands of BBC staff, in=
=20
an attempt to justify their action.

The BBC has rejected a union request for a top-level national meeting to=20
discuss the sackings.

NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear said: "The BBC have simply thrown some of=
=20
our agreements out of the window.

"That=92s why this issue is so important not just to our two members, not=20
just to their chapel, not all the BBC chapels but to our whole union, and=20
why we will make the necessary resources available to win this campaign.

"It is the ultimate betrayal =96 the betrayal of our reps, our members and=
=20
our agreements as well as a betrayal of the values of the BBC.

"These two colleagues have spoken out for others now we must speak out for=
=20
them."

http://www.nuj.org.uk/front/inner.php?docid=3D477&doctypeid=3D8

NUJ WEB PAGE INCLUDES BACKGROUND TO THESE SACKINGS:
Resolution passed by BBC reps, March 7 2003
Statement by BBC managers
Briefing on the Arabic Service dismissals
Statement by Adli Hawwari
Resolution by the BBC Arabic Service NUJ Chapel
Motion from the NUJ Black Members Council



Bristol branch - National Union of Journalists
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Montpelier
BRISTOL
BS6 5QA
England
http://lists.southspace.net/listinfo/nuj_bristol/
http://www.gn.apc.org/media/nuj.html
http://www.nuj.org.uk
0117 944 6219

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