BBC staff face strike ballot

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) Staff at the BBC are set to be balloted on possible strike action in a dispute over wages and pensions, a row which has been exacerbated by revelations senior managers had been given large pay rises, unions said.

Thousands of employees will be asked whether to strike over the corporation's pay offer of 2.6 per cent and over demands that planned compulsory redundancies are withdrawn.

The four unions -- the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Amicus, the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union and the Musicians Union -- are also unhappy about the BBC's decision to close the final salary pension to new staff.

They have called for an urgent meeting with BBC Director General Mark Thompson and said unless he addressed their concerns, they would begin balloting for a strike later this month.

''BBC managers cannot be surprised by the immense anger with which their actions have been met by hard-working staff,'' NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear yesterday said.

''The fact that money can be found to reward managers who have axed jobs, cut programme budgets and presided over a pensions fiasco, but cannot be found to save vital jobs in current affairs, shows where the current BBC management's priorities lie.'' Last week the BBC revealed Thompson's salary had risen by more than 10 percent to 619,000 pounds.

That came after 1,100 jobs were lost last year as part of an efficiency drive and a further 2,000 are due to go over the next 12 months.

The BBC said it was disappointed with the unions' decision.

''We recognise that it's been a difficult time for staff, given the changes we need to make to continue to serve our audiences, and we are concerned that any industrial action would affect those viewers and listeners,'' it said in a statement.

''The BBC made its pay offer of 2.6 per cent when inflation was at this level. The BBC, like other employers, is not in a position to guarantee inflation-linked salaries; the major determining factor is always our ability to pay.'' REUTERS SB VA VV0853