100 signatures reached
To: Matt Brittin, BBC director general, and the UK prime minister
Back Workers. Back Our BBC.
The BBC is an essential public service that belongs to all of us.
Since 2010 the BBC’s funding has been cut in real terms by around 30%, leaving workers overworked and undervalued.
Now BBC management has announced plans to slash around 2,000 jobs - around one in ten - as part of further cost-cutting measures.
This will have a devastating impact on audiences and communities across the UK and beyond.
The BBC simply cannot fulfil its mission to inform, educate, and entertain without the creativity and professionalism of its workers.
As the unions representing BBC staff, contractors, and freelancers - including writers, journalists, technical staff, musicians, actors, production and maintenance staff - we need your support to fight for jobs and for the future of our BBC.
Why is this important?
Nearly everyone - 94% of adults in the UK - uses the BBC every month.
The BBC has an incredible range of TV, audio and digital services - from Planet Earth to the Proms, from BBC Bitesize and The World Service to live coverage of the World Cup - all without advertising and without subscription fees. For around £3.50 a week, that’s remarkable value for money.
In return the BBC contributes £5 billion to the economy every year and drives the wider creative industries: nurturing talent, commissioning work, engaging thousands of freelancers and directly employing over 20,000 staff.
People across the UK’s nations, regions and local communities should see their lives and stories reflected in the BBC’s news, drama, film and musical productions.
To do this, the BBC needs proper funding. The renewal of the BBC Charter - which happens every ten years and is already underway - offers an opportunity for the government to give the BBC the resources and reforms it needs to provide a quality public service, free from commercial or political interference.
This means the BBC remaining universally funded and accessible to all. This means worker representation and no more political appointees on the BBC board. This means the BBC being the gold standard on employment rights: driving up pay, terms and conditions, and generating opportunities for workers across the country.
The constant cycle of cuts and cost-saving must end. Public services only work when we invest in them and the people who provide them.
We urge the BBC’s new director general Matt Brittin to listen to his workers and call on the UK government to urgently intervene.
How can I get involved?
The BBC is ours – and it’s up to us to fight for it.
Sign this petition to show solidarity with workers and demonstrate how much a properly funded, independent and representative BBC means to you and your community. Please share this petition and ask your family and friends to sign too.
Read more about the Broadcasting, Entertainment & Arts Unions’ (BEAU) Charter Renewal demands.