Easter Parade

As the weather warms up, one group of BBC radio studio managers has got hot under the collar with hardball management, and is staging a 12 hour walk-out from just after noon today - presumably timed to make it clear that it's not a Fool.

65% of BECTU members in the group looking after World Service programmes voted - and 92% of them backed the walkout.

The management want to change their rules on leave - not about how much time off they can have, but when they can have it. At the moment, leave requests are blocked when eight people have asked for the same day off - suits want to halve that.

The impact on listeners is unclear - some UK-based programmes might be replaced by output from studios abroad.

Meanwhile both BECTU and the National Union of Journalists are getting antsy about the possibility of compulsory redundancies, and meeting management on the issue this week. They're believed to have secured a moratorium until election day, but, as we are reminded every moment of every waking day, that's not far away now.