The Newsroom

Spotlight presenter Justin Leigh to leave the BBC

(October 2020)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
WO
Worzel
Nick Owen is 72

Age will definately be a factor not only because of retirement but because of longevity of service, a couple of local radio people who've left recently had been at their stations for 35 years. A good time to take retirement.

Keith Skues who left his programme in the East of England last week is 82


One local presenter I can't see leaving for a while is Fred Dineage. It seems like he'll be doing it forever. Smile


Fred is a huge pull. My late mother in law was always quite happy to watch the wrong version of Meridian News, all that matted was Fred!


That's 'how to' pull in a few extra viewers. Laughing
AndrewPSSP, London Lite and Markymark gave kudos
CI
cityprod
The wrong presenter is leaving Spotlight.


That's harsh. Victoria Graham is a good presenter, nothing wrong with her at all. I don't think Justin was a better presenter, but he does have more local history in that sense, so I get why people might think that, but I don't agree.
AM
Alfie Mulcahy
Nick Owen is 72

Age will definately be a factor not only because of retirement but because of longevity of service, a couple of local radio people who've left recently had been at their stations for 35 years. A good time to take retirement.

Keith Skues who left his programme in the East of England last week is 82


One local presenter I can't see leaving for a while is Fred Dineage. It seems like he'll be doing it forever. Smile


Fred is a huge pull. My late mother in law was always quite happy to watch the wrong version of Meridian News, all that matted was Fred!


Yeah. He's so calm and professional.
CO
commseng
The difference in redundancy pay between someone who has been there years and someone relatively recent is negligible in the grand scheme of things. If they stick to the statutory guidelines, the weekly amount it is based off is capped. Either way, it’s cheaper to make someone redundant than it is to continue employing them.

BBC redundancy is a month a year of continuous service, but I'm pretty sure it is capped

It was capped at 24 months pay, or two years, and that may still well be the case.
However when people were TUPE'd out of the BBC those same terms only remained the same for 3 years.
After 3 years it dropped to statutory redundancy pay only, and that's when the redundancies happen.
I speak from personal experience as you can probably tell.......
RT
Run_Telecine

It was capped at 24 months pay, or two years, and that may still well be the case.
However when people were TUPE'd out of the BBC those same terms only remained the same for 3 years.
After 3 years it dropped to statutory redundancy pay only, and that's when the redundancies happen.
I speak from personal experience as you can probably tell.......


Ouch - that's a pretty raw deal if you were TUPE'd out to RBM or Atos/Siemens.
JV
James Vertigan Founding member
David Fitzgerald who normally presents the Friday late bulletin hasn’t appeared on a while


Fitz does the mid-morning weekday slot on BBC Devon, alternating with Pippa Quelch.
CO
commseng

It was capped at 24 months pay, or two years, and that may still well be the case.
However when people were TUPE'd out of the BBC those same terms only remained the same for 3 years.
After 3 years it dropped to statutory redundancy pay only, and that's when the redundancies happen.
I speak from personal experience as you can probably tell.......


Ouch - that's a pretty raw deal if you were TUPE'd out to RBM or Atos/Siemens.

It was a Satellite based firm that took us over, not Red Bee or Atos.
Last edited by commseng on 13 October 2020 2:29pm
TE
Technologist

It was capped at 24 months pay, or two years, and that may still well be the case.
However when people were TUPE'd out of the BBC those same terms only remained the same for 3 years.
After 3 years it dropped to statutory redundancy pay only, and that's when the redundancies happen.
I speak from personal experience as you can probably tell.......


Ouch - that's a pretty raw deal if you were TUPE'd out to RBM or Atos/Siemens.

It was a Satellite based firm that took us over, not Red Bee or Atos.

Siemens kept BBC Ts&Cs including redundancy until,after they sold out to Atos who retained it for a bit longer .......
MA
Markymark

Ouch - that's a pretty raw deal if you were TUPE'd out to RBM or Atos/Siemens.

It was a Satellite based firm that took us over, not Red Bee or Atos.

Siemens kept BBC Ts&Cs including redundancy until,after they sold out to Atos who retained it for a bit longer .......


I think the statutory minimum period to retain any agreed redundancy deal for TUPE'd staff is two years ? Although I suspect most companies make sure they don't set any precedents with redundancy deals. The company I worked for for many years always had a very generous redundancy settlement, but at every new round they'd tweak it slightly (and downwards !), so as not to set any ' future expectations' !
IS
Inspector Sands

Siemens kept BBC Ts&Cs including redundancy until,after they sold out to Atos who retained it for a bit longer .......

I think Atos kept it until those staff were TUPEd back into the BBC. Their staff who worked on the broadcast operations side of the BBC contract had different employment terms to everyone else in Atos

In fact those staff who went from Atos into the BBC ended up with better terms in some areas than those who stayed at the BBC as the beeb had changed their terms and conditions in the meantime whereas Atos just kept everything largely the same. Returning staff had the best of both worlds in some cases - the best bit of the new BBC terms and the best of the legacy ones they got from Atos.


Red Bee changed their redundancy terms of ex-BBC staff from 1 month a year to the statutory 1 week a year. However AIUI they grandfathered the past service, so if they'd been there 10 years when it changed they'd get 10 months pay for those years and then 1 week pay for every year after that
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 13 October 2020 4:44pm
MI
TheMike
This article explains why many long-serving BBC staff are leaving now:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2020-10-10/news/bbc-staff-take-big-redundancy-money-and-run-3tg7ltrrz

Basically, a new Government cap on redundancy is coming; it is their last chance to leave with a six figure sum. Northern Ireland seeing many senior staff leaving.
MA
Markymark
This article explains why many long-serving BBC staff are leaving now:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2020-10-10/news/bbc-staff-take-big-redundancy-money-and-run-3tg7ltrrz

Basically, a new Government cap on redundancy is coming; it is their last chance to leave with a six figure sum. Northern Ireland seeing many senior staff leaving.


Presumably that's a public sector cap, not for private employers ?

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