BBC journalists are to vote on strike action over the threat of compulsory redundancies, in a ballot that could lead to industrial action in December at the earliest. The ballot, reported on 28 October, will run from 3 to 24 November, meaning any walkout would come after the vote closes and could affect regional news output in the run-up to Christmas.

Why the ballot is happening

The dispute stems from the BBC's wider savings drive, under which it must find £500 million in savings. BBC News staff were told last week that around 100 jobs would be cut, saving £5.5 million towards its £51 million savings target. The BBC has said it cannot guarantee there will be no compulsory redundancies, while its published policy is to try to find ways of avoiding them. The corporation says it will continue to do everything possible to minimise compulsory job losses, but argues that no organisation of its size and complexity could give such an undertaking without compromising its service to audiences.

What happens next

Until the ballot result is known, the BBC says it is business as usual, but it will begin planning for possible industrial action. The National Union of Journalists has blamed the situation on decades of underfunding and sustained real-terms cuts to the licence fee. The last strike by BBC journalists took place in May, when staff on the World Service programme Newshour and Radio 4's The World Tonight walked out over plans to force them to work shorter but more frequent shifts. The outcome of the November ballot will therefore be watched closely as an early test of how far the current savings programme will be resisted.

Sources: Press Gazette and Deadline via Nuuz.