A round-up of today's other stories in brief
BBC strike risk after vote on pensions row
LONDON – The BBC is facing the threat of strikes after thousands of journalists, technicians and other staff voted massively in favour of industrial action in a row over pensions, it was announced yesterday.Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the technicians’ union Bectu backed walkouts by more than 9-1 in protest at “punitive” changes to the staff pension scheme.
Unions held back from naming strike dates so that talks can be held over the next two weeks to resolve the dispute and avert strikes.
Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ, said: “This is an unprecedented result in favour of strike action and a clear rejection of the BBC’s proposals.” – (PA)
Top Gear's Stig finally named
LONDON – The identity of The Stig – the mystery test car driver on the popular BBC TV motoring show Top Gear – was revealed yesterday after the broadcaster lost a legal fight to keep his name secret.
Ben Collins, who began his racing career in 1994 and drove at Formula 3 level, was named as The Stig after London’s High Court refused to grant a temporary injunction preventing the revelation of his identity in an upcoming book.
The BBC took legal action to block publication by HarperCollins of Collins’s autobiography, in which he said he was The Stig. – (PA)