Red Bee Media seeks major changes to its redundancy policy
8 February 2010
Members at Red Bee Media will vote on changes to redundancy rights and to provisions for late night/early morning transport in ballots starting on 12 February 2010.
The proposals, if accepted, will alter redundancy rights inherited from BBC employment for staff with 16 years or more continuous service. One month for each year of past service would change to four weeks' pay for each year. Service from 1 July 2010 would attract just two weeks' redundancy pay in place of the current formula.
More controversially, staff with up to 15 years' service would have their redundancy payment formula cut retrospectively from one month to three weeks' per year. Under the company's plans, service accrued for this group from 1 July 2010 would also qualify for two weeks' pay per year in the event of redundancy.
Staff joining the company from 1 March 2010 would do so on the basis of a redundancy agreement providing two weeks' pay for each year of service capped at 52 weeks.
These difficult proposals, which the company says are motivated by the need "to acknowledge the challenges and threats our business faces", follow extended talks with BECTU and the NUJ which escalated in September 2009 and which at one point threatened a full blown dispute.
RBM seeks an end to redundancy protections
RBM is also seeking to remove policies inherited from the BBC which provide staff faced with redundancy adequate time to identify an alternative post or to prepare for redundancy; measures which enable staff who secure redeployment in a lower graded job to remain on a higher salary are also set to end under the company's plans. Full details of RBM's proposals will be set out in the ballot documentation.
Tax on taxis
A separate consultative ballot will also seek members' views on the company's plans to transfer to staff liability for personal tax on taxis and to limit the company's expenditure for such journeys to 25 miles. The company wants to introduce these changes with effect from 5 April 2010.
NUJ members are subject to the same proposals and will take part in a parallel consultative exercise.
Ballot papers will be issued to BECTU members on Friday 12 February, with a closing date of 12 noon on Thursday 4 March.
Suresh Chawla, national official, commented:
"This is the best offer that can be achieved through negotiation and on this basis we are seeking our members' position. If the proposals on reducing the redundancy formula are rejected we will be moving to a ballot for industrial action."
Staff previously employed by Channel 4, whose employment transferred to RBM in August 2008, will not be affected by any changes which may be agreed until February 2011 when the protections surrounding their C4 terms and conditions expire.
Last month, union members at RBM voted by a 97% majority to accept the introduction of a number of new policies including on annual leave and sick pay.
(Amended 15 February 2010 to reflect changes to the ballot timetables).
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