BBC to cut journalists' pay perks as it looks to save £80m from news budget

The BBC is considering the removal of a variety of pay perks from its journalists’ contracts in a move that threatens to spark a new row between the workforce and senior management.

The corporation has made series of proposals to staff about changing their terms and conditions as it looks to cut £80m from its news budget.

Allowances under threat include that paid to staff working unpredictable hours, which would be frozen for existing employees and scrapped for new starters. The BBC also wants to cut overtime payments in favour of giving lieu days.

Employees who get taxis due to very early or late starts will be asked to get public transport if it is available. There will also be cuts to so-called “acting up” pay for staff asked to fill a role senior to their usual pay grade.

The review of terms and conditions could represent a significant change for staff. They do not apply to senior managers, which has further frustrated the workforce.

Sources in the BBC have told the Guardian they expect the proposals to be rejected in a ballot set to take place in August.

The proposals have been made as the BBC prepares to reveal how much it pays its top earners, including stars such as Graham Norton Gary Lineker. Under the new royal charter, the BBC must disclose the remuneration of employees with a salary of more than £150,000. Andrew Marr, the political journalist, said the pay disclosure will be “uncomfortable for all of us”.

How much the BBC pays its top talent will be revealed alongside the corporation’s annual report, which is due to be published later this month. It is likely to spark a new backlash about how much the BBC is spending on its top names.

Sir David Clementi, the chairman of the BBC, told the Financial Times in an interview this week that the corporation “would have preferred a different outcome” to publishing the pay of its stars, but insisted they were not overpaid.

In a separate plan to the proposed changes to terms and conditions, BBC News is looking to reduce the amount it spends on presenters, editors and correspondents by 10% over the next five years.

The BBC is understood to have ruled out the idea of pay cap. Instead it is looking to introduce pay bands for on-air news talent – similar to what exists in other parts of the BBC – depending on their experience and other factors. However, the presenters and journalists would still be free to earn extra money for their work for the BBC outside news.

The BBC expects to finalise these proposals later this year and has said it wants to establish a “clear and fair structure” for on-air talent.

The BBC employs about 19,000 full-time staff in public service broadcasting with approximately 7,000 in news, including the World Service.

A BBC source said the proposed changes to terms and conditions had been made after months of talks with trade unions. They are expected to be cost neutral over two years.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “These new proposals set out a simpler and fairer way of working which recognise the demands of a modern broadcasting organisation. The proposals include support for the lowest paid employees and would ensure we have support in place for those who need it, while also ending complexities and outdated allowances so we operate more efficiently.”