Bectu attacks UTV over redundancies

UTV

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Media and entertainment union Bectu has launched a public attack on Northern Irish ITV franchise holder UTV, claiming the broadcaster is failing to negotiate over its plans to make 28 redundancies.

Bectu national official Pat Styles said she was becoming increasingly frustrated at what she saw as the broadcaster's lack of co-operation with the union.

She said its executives were behaving in a way that was "morally repugnant". 

On 15 October, UTV announced it would cut the positions from its TV division and planned to axe the news and current affairs programmes Insight, Late and Live and ITV Life by March next year.

Styles said: "Despite our attempts to enter into meaningful discussions with UTV over its programme of proposed compulsory redundancies, the company has yet to respond either meaningfully or positively. 

"We have requested an urgent meeting with UTV group HR director Mairead Regan, and suggested dates for such a meeting, but so far UTV has ignored this reasonable request.

"Our members are facing the bleak prospect of being made redundant in the run up to Christmas."

Styles added that executive board members who had paid themselves large bonuses in 2007 were "morally repugnant, given the way the company is now treating its staff".

She added: "These job cuts will also dramatically reduce the amount of local programming available to the Northern Ireland audience.

"Faced with a management which is currently unwilling to talk to us, we are going public with our campaign to defend our members' jobs and public service broadcasting in Northern Ireland."

The union will now start lobbying local members of the Legislative Assembly to increase the pressure on UTV.

A UTV spokeswoman said the company was continuing to have discussions with its staff and unions. The broadcaster plans to issue a full statement later this afternoon.