Complaint
A listener complained the programme failed to make clear that a Union representative, interviewed about prospective strikes in Scotland鈥檚 schools, was also a senior Labour party official. 聽The ECU assessed whether the output met the standards of due impartiality set out in the 大象传媒 Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
Johanna Baxter was introduced as 鈥渉ead of local government for Unison in Scotland鈥 and the focus of the interview was the decision by her members to take industrial action in pursuit of higher pay. 聽The pay negotiations, as the presenter made clear, were between Unison and the employer鈥檚 body COSLA, with no direct involvement of the Scottish Government. There was a political dimension to the story but in condemning the SNP Government for, as she saw it, failing to properly fund local authorities, Ms Baxter appeared to reflect Unison鈥檚 position, not specific Labour party policy. 聽The ECU saw no likelihood therefore that listeners would have been misled on the subject under discussion 鈥 namely, why Unison considered industrial action necessary despite the adverse impact on Scottish schools.
Not Upheld