Category: 大象传媒
Date: 13.01.2006
Printable version
A joint statement from the 大象传媒, BECTU, NUJ and Amicus was issued at 10.30am today (13 January 2006).
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Change Programme Progress Meeting: 12 January 2006.
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"Both sides acknowledged the considerable progress made in divisional talks since last June's ACAS agreement. The unions emphasised that compulsory redundancies were unacceptable to their members. They also told Mark Thompson that they believed there were further steps the 大象传媒 could take to achieve its targets through voluntary rather than compulsory means but said they were concerned that time was running out and that, unless progress could be made, further industrial action was inevitable.
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"For the 大象传媒, Mark Thompson said that the 大象传媒 had to meet its value for money and headcount targets and that the change programme had to continue within the context of the existing divisional talks and the timetable laid down in the ACAS agreement. The DG however committed himself to ensuring that the unions' suggestions were fed into the divisional talks. The 大象传媒's divisional directors would be asked to redouble their efforts to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies. He also said the 大象传媒 would look again at whether it was feasible to reduce the number of compulsory redundancies through better inter-divisional co-ordination.
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"In order to give the divisional talks the best chance of making progress while remaining within the ACAS timetable, the unions offered on a wholly exceptional basis and for the period from today to the 1st April this year only, to waive two months of the five month redeployment period which staff who are being made compulsorily redundant are entitled to under the statement agreed by the unions and the 大象传媒 in 1998. This would not change the earliest date under the ACAS agreement at which the compulsory redundancies in the present change programme could be effected: that would remain the 1st of July 2006. It would however mean that the first date at which it might be necessary to send out any compulsory redundancy notices would now be the 1st April this year, allowing more time for management and unions to try to reduce the need for compulsory redundancies further.
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"In conclusion, the unions stated that they believed that the 大象传媒 should be able to achieve all its targets without the need for compulsory redundancies. The DG reiterated his position that he could not rule out the need for compulsories in some divisions but said he remained committed to achieving as much as possible through voluntary means.
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"The DG offered to meet union officials towards the end of the year for a further update on progress on the change programme."
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