The BBC will introduce a new minimum salary of £20,000 from 1 August 2018, and will modernise its terms and conditions, in a new deal negotiated by The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (Bectu), the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Unite.
This landmark agreement includes a three-year pay deal, simplification of contractual arrangements, and a fresh approach to organisational flexibility and work-life balance.
The pay deal will be backdated to August 2017, and will include a 2% pay increase for 2017 through to 2019. For 2019 to 2020, the amount will be set at either 2.5% or the licence fee settlement percentage, if higher.
A simpler pay and grading structure will also be introduced, with a greater focus on transparency and governance.
BBC representatives will work alongside Bectu, NUJ and Unite members in a joint working group, set up to investigate how the organisation should recognise weekend working.
The ballot closed on 11 June 2018, with 77% of Bectu members and 59% of NUJ members voting in favour. Unite is due to report its results at a later point.
Noel McClean, assistant national secretary at Bectu, said: “There were a number of big and significant issues that needed to be addressed in this deal. Our members engaged with us on an unprecedented level to make sure that we were negotiating the best possible deal for them. Without that level of engagement we would not have been able to get this result.”
Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary at the NUJ, added: “There is still a lot of work to be done on terms and conditions, particularly on night working and on weekend working, which we plan to ensure will deliver further improvements to working patterns and conditions for NUJ members at the BBC, particularly those who routinely work unsocial hours. It’s now time for the BBC’s commitments to better working conditions and greater work-life balance to be put into action. The new pay structure still requires collective effort to make it work, but it is a structure that will provide greater transparency and assist in holding the BBC to account on pay parity now and in the future.”
Anne Bulford, deputy director-general at the BBC, said: “We welcome this ballot result and the news that members of the NUJ and [Bectu] have voted in favour of simple, fair and consistent proposals which are an essential part of modernising the BBC. Throughout the past 18 months we have been engaged in a collaborative process with the unions and these changes will benefit staff, the BBC, and most importantly the audiences we serve.”