Out of their Proms

Union strategists at the BBC are playing hardball over planned changes to the corporation's pension scheme. BECTU are talking about a 48-hour strike on September 10 and 11. Saturday 11th September is the last night of the Proms.

A co-ordinated 48-hour strike with the NUJ, and perhaps walkouts from Equity and the Musicians' Union would lead to two days of old movies and repeats. Management vaguely capable of pushing buttons to keep the transmitters fed would be stretched much more than previously.

There is a negotiation to be had, and some union officials have detailed proposals which would mean both staff and employer contributing more to the scheme, to ease the stark and frightening cap of 1% per year for rises to final pension figures.