ITV Strike Cancels This Morning Programme

ITV Strike Cancels This Morning Programme

LONDON, April 7/PRNewswire/ -- Broadcasting unions striking at ITV tomorrow say they are causing maximum disruption to the company's weekend broadcasts, starting with the cancellation of This Morning tomorrow.

Amicus and BECTU say that their 700 members who are due to start a 36-hour strike over pay at 7 am tomorrow have received unprecedented messages and expressions of support from freelance, non-union and journalist colleagues and that ITV have had to turn to BBC to ensure weekend programming.

Hit Me Baby One More Time, ITV's live nostalgia pop voting show is having to be made at BBC Television Centre this weekend and next, instead of LWTs South Bank studios because of Amicus and BECTU's strike action. The strikes at London Weekend Television, Yorkshire TV, 3sixtymedia and Granada will also disrupt ITV productions in London, Manchester and Leeds causing delays and cancellations in the filming schedules of Emmerdale, Heartbeat and Coronation Street.

The unions say that the strike at the LWT studios on London's South Bank has meant that Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway programme which is usually broadcast live will be pre-recorded today after efforts by ITV to film the show at Pinewood studios failed. The filming of Parkinson on this evening at LWT has also had to move to a smaller studio to accommodate the prerecording of Ant and Dec.

The action will also impact on third-party work undertaken by ITV. The BBC's network Sunday programme Heaven and Earth is unlikely to air this Sunday 10 April as crews are supplied by the joint ITV/BBC resource company 3sixtymedia and in London the company's studios may lose bookings by Endemol for its show for C5, Cosmetic Surgery Live.

In total more than 700 production, technical and support staff will be involved.

The strike follows member's rejection of a 3.3% pay offer in a ballot that closed two weeks ago. Members are angry that once again their pay rise barely touches inflation after a year of record job cuts and a strong financial performance by ITV. During the last five years ITV pay has fallen short of average earnings by 10% and has also fallen below inflation.

BECTU members at ITV Central (Nottingham and Birmingham), ITV Anglia in Norwich and at the company's Southern Transmission Centre in London will also take part in a two-hour stoppage from 12 noon to 2 pm tomorrow (Friday 8 April).

Mike Smallwood, Amicus' National Officer for the broadcast industry, said:

"Our members have received overwhelming support from colleagues throughout the industry. This strike is going to have an impact and we hope that this will bring the company back to the table with a sensible pay offer. The extent of programme disruption just goes to show the vital work that our members do and the need for their contribution to be fairly rewarded."

Sharon Elliot, BECTU Supervisory Official for Independent Broadcasting, said:

"As the hours go by this campaign increasingly becomes action led by the unions but supported by staff generally. We regret the impact on productions but what this demonstrates is the range of work carried out by our members. ITV staff deserve better recognition for the work they do through an improved pay offer."

Both unions will be taking further action at LWT starting again at 7 am on Friday 15th April.

The two unions have condemned boardroom pay at ITV plc where Chief Executive Charles Allen, has received a bumper remuneration package of GBP8.7m. ITV's Finance Director is also reported to be paid GBP1m a year.

Union picket lines will be in place at LWT's London studio, Leed's YTV main studio on Kirkstall Road and the Emmerdale studio in Eccup and Granada studios in Manchester from 7am on Friday 8th April.

Source: Amicus

For further information please call Catherine Bithell in the Amicus press office on +44-(0)20-7420-8909 or +44-(0)7958-473-224 or Sharon Elliott at BECTU on +44-(0)20-7346-0900

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