Post by Teddy Bear on Jun 8, 2011 20:04:39 GMT
The rank contempt and disregard by the BBC for its public having to endure tough economic times, yet still forced to pay for this insidious organisation, couldn't be more apparent.
If you knew all the money paid to you to provide a service, albeit debatable - and in my opinion actually detrimental to society, would you feel comfortable upping your own salary when you know the society you are serving are struggling?
The BBC are.
They are the real N in CUTS.
BBC staff earning £60,000 will be given £1,000 pay rise
The BBC is to reject George Osborne's call for public sector pay restraint by offering 95 per cent of employees a pay rise – with some annual earnings increasing by more than £1,000.
BBC staff earning £60,000 will be given £1,000 pay rise
By Patrick Foster
Mr Osborne announced in last year's emergency budget that public sector workers earning more than £21,000 would have their pay frozen for two years, while research released last week showed that the average pay award in the public sector had hit zero.
But the BBC has offered all staff earning less than £60,302 a rise of two per cent this year, which sources at the corporation said would lead to an increase in its wage bill of £12.5 million.
The offer was condemned by MPs and taxpayers' groups and emerged as the broadcaster struggled to find 16 per cent budget cuts after agreeing to freeze the licence fee until 2016.
John Whittingdale, the chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, said: "£60,000 is a high salary and it would come as a surprise to most people that the BBC does not regard it to be so. It is only slightly less than what MPs are paid, but we have voted to reject a pay rise and will not get a penny."
A spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "It's unfair that BBC staff who are on close to £60,000 a year will get a significant pay rise at a time when public sector pay is frozen. BBC bosses keep pleading poverty and this comes at a time when they should be looking for savings, not increasing spending."
The BBC said the pay offer, under which all staff earning less than £20,000 would receive a £400 pay rise, was "affordable and realistic".
In a letter to union leaders, Diane Dumas, the BBC's head of employee relations, wrote: "In the context of the financial pressures facing the BBC and the wider UK economy, I believe this represents a fair and reasonable offer which provides the majority of the BBC staff with a pay rise this year whilst keeping BBC expenditure to an appropriate and realistic level."
Broadcasting unions initially requested a pay rise of six per cent, but decided not to object to the offer. Instead they would focus their attention on fighting job losses and cuts to operations such as the BBC's local radio stations.
Speaking privately, union officials said that they were surprised by the generosity of the BBC's offer, as they had expected the corporation to use the backdrop of a programme of cuts to its on-screen budgets as justification for proposing a pay freeze, or at best a one per cent rise for only the lowest paid staff.
Mark Thompson, the Director-General, is considering a range of savings, including scrapping BBC Two's daytime schedule, cutting overnight programming and sharing some content between local radio stations.
In a letter to staff, union leaders wrote that the implications of the cost-cutting would be "far-reaching" and would not be known until the autumn. "The unions are conscious we may well face a fight over job cuts and defending terms and conditions at that time," they wrote.
A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it had no power to compel the BBC to reduce its pay award, but added that ministers had "made clear that they expect the BBC to deliver value for money".
A source close to Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, said the offer had "raised eyebrows" among ministers.
The source added: "At a time when they are having to make significant cuts, it seems strange that they are willing to increase pay at this level."
A BBC spokesman declined to comment on how much the pay award would cost the corporation, or how many staff would receive a pay rise.
If you knew all the money paid to you to provide a service, albeit debatable - and in my opinion actually detrimental to society, would you feel comfortable upping your own salary when you know the society you are serving are struggling?
The BBC are.
They are the real N in CUTS.
BBC staff earning £60,000 will be given £1,000 pay rise
The BBC is to reject George Osborne's call for public sector pay restraint by offering 95 per cent of employees a pay rise – with some annual earnings increasing by more than £1,000.
BBC staff earning £60,000 will be given £1,000 pay rise
By Patrick Foster
Mr Osborne announced in last year's emergency budget that public sector workers earning more than £21,000 would have their pay frozen for two years, while research released last week showed that the average pay award in the public sector had hit zero.
But the BBC has offered all staff earning less than £60,302 a rise of two per cent this year, which sources at the corporation said would lead to an increase in its wage bill of £12.5 million.
The offer was condemned by MPs and taxpayers' groups and emerged as the broadcaster struggled to find 16 per cent budget cuts after agreeing to freeze the licence fee until 2016.
John Whittingdale, the chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, said: "£60,000 is a high salary and it would come as a surprise to most people that the BBC does not regard it to be so. It is only slightly less than what MPs are paid, but we have voted to reject a pay rise and will not get a penny."
A spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "It's unfair that BBC staff who are on close to £60,000 a year will get a significant pay rise at a time when public sector pay is frozen. BBC bosses keep pleading poverty and this comes at a time when they should be looking for savings, not increasing spending."
The BBC said the pay offer, under which all staff earning less than £20,000 would receive a £400 pay rise, was "affordable and realistic".
In a letter to union leaders, Diane Dumas, the BBC's head of employee relations, wrote: "In the context of the financial pressures facing the BBC and the wider UK economy, I believe this represents a fair and reasonable offer which provides the majority of the BBC staff with a pay rise this year whilst keeping BBC expenditure to an appropriate and realistic level."
Broadcasting unions initially requested a pay rise of six per cent, but decided not to object to the offer. Instead they would focus their attention on fighting job losses and cuts to operations such as the BBC's local radio stations.
Speaking privately, union officials said that they were surprised by the generosity of the BBC's offer, as they had expected the corporation to use the backdrop of a programme of cuts to its on-screen budgets as justification for proposing a pay freeze, or at best a one per cent rise for only the lowest paid staff.
Mark Thompson, the Director-General, is considering a range of savings, including scrapping BBC Two's daytime schedule, cutting overnight programming and sharing some content between local radio stations.
In a letter to staff, union leaders wrote that the implications of the cost-cutting would be "far-reaching" and would not be known until the autumn. "The unions are conscious we may well face a fight over job cuts and defending terms and conditions at that time," they wrote.
A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it had no power to compel the BBC to reduce its pay award, but added that ministers had "made clear that they expect the BBC to deliver value for money".
A source close to Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, said the offer had "raised eyebrows" among ministers.
The source added: "At a time when they are having to make significant cuts, it seems strange that they are willing to increase pay at this level."
A BBC spokesman declined to comment on how much the pay award would cost the corporation, or how many staff would receive a pay rise.