Northern Ireland

Cross party call for meeting to avert BBC Northern Ireland strike

NUJ members across BBC Northern Ireland are to go on strike on Friday following cuts at Radio Foyle.
NUJ members across BBC Northern Ireland are to go on strike on Friday following cuts at Radio Foyle. NUJ members across BBC Northern Ireland are to go on strike on Friday following cuts at Radio Foyle.
By By Seamus McKinney

Political leaders have asked for a meeting with the head of BBC Northern Ireland in an effort to stop a planned strike by NUJ journalists at the Corporation on Friday.

In a letter to BBC NI director, Adam Smyth, Derry’s Sinn Féin mayor, Sandra Duffy, SDLP leader, Colum Eastwood and DUP MPGregory Campbell warned that Friday’s strike would have a “detrimental impact on the reporting of local democracy in the north west”.

More than 200 NUJ members at BBC NI are to take part in the strike which coincides with the first day of this week’s local government election count. The planned strike is in opposition to changes introduced by BBC NI director Adam Smyth at the broadcaster’s Radio Foyle station in Derry.

There has been widespread opposition to the changes which included the reduction of Foyle’s flagship morning show from two hours to thirty minutes daily. The station’s half-hour lunchtime show has also been axed with the possibility of job losses.

Mr Smyth said the station would serve as a production centre for local and regional output. However, his plans provoked an angry reaction from political and civic leaders.

Announcing the planned strike action last week, National Union of Journalists’ spokesman, Paul Siegert said its members were left with no option but to strike in defence of jobs and “much-loved programmes”.

In a letter to Mr Smyth, the political leaders said: “We are hugely concerned that if the strike action goes ahead this week it will have a detrimental impact on the reporting of local democracy in the north west.

“The loss of the flagship Breakfast Show programme and its replacement of a 30-minue show slot is insufficient to meet the needs of the region and we will be urging the BBC to rethink their decision and reinstate the Breakfast programme in full or at least extend it to an hour-long broadcast.”

The leaders said they also wished to find out what plans have been put in place by the BBC to “mitigate” for the election count. They have also asked for reassurances about Radio Foyle’s future stability.