Newsnight staff face reapplying for jobs

Martha Kearney: signatory of letter vowing not to cooperate

All 15 of Newsnight's correspondents, including political editor Martha Kearney, will have to reapply for their jobs if plans to make two compulsory redundancies are pushed through, the National Union of Journalists has warned.

The union is due to hold a national level meeting with BBC executives within the next 10 days to try to avert compulsory cuts on the flagship BBC2 current affairs show after previous discussions broke down.

It is understood that all on-screen reporters will have to reapply for their jobs as part of a selection process to identify the two posts to be removed.

These would also include the science editor, Susan Watts - who was a key figure in the Hutton inquiry - and the business correspondent, Paul Mason.

Presenters such as Jeremy Paxman and Kirsty Wark are not affected.

The Newsnight cuts are part of around 10 posts closures the BBC wants to make in its news division as part of its the third year of its "value for money" cost savings.

One news interactive journalist and three of the BBC's nine London radio reporters are also under threat.

Mason, who is also the Newsnight NUJ representative, said: "At present the two threatened compulsory redundancies on Newsnight are the subject of an upcoming meeting with management.

"We will be trying to persuade them that making 15 of the most high profile journalists in BBC news reapply for their jobs for the sake of finding two compulsory redundancies is just not worth it."

The NUJ and broadcasting union Bectu are threatening strike action before the end of the year unless the BBC rules out compulsory cuts. However, the BBC has said it cannot do this.

BBC news had proposed cutting 108 posts as part of its cost savings.

However, the number of compulsory redundancies has been brought down to around 10, which the BBC wants to finalise by the end of March next year.

If the upcoming national level meeting fails to bring a breakthrough, a date for strike action will be set, the NUJ has said.

Bectu is also planning a consultative ballot on potential strike action.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "The BBC is trying to put as much money as possible into its programmes and services through its value for money plans.

"A considerable amount has been achieved through working with union representatives over the past year. However, we always said that given the scale of the reductions, we could not provide any guarantee that we would be able to avoid compulsory redundancies."

