BBC staff strike as new director general warns of ‘tough choices’ on his first day

Matt Brittin, the BBC’s new director general, has warned staff that “tough choices are unavoidable” under his tenure, as his first day coincided with a strike by a group of the corporation’s journalists. Brittin, formerly Google’s most senior executive in Europe , arrived at the corporation’s New Broadcasting House while a group of journalists from the World Service’s flagship show Newshour and Radio 4’s The World Tonight were picketing in response to a plan to increase their workloads. The action, which relates to a dispute over shift patterns that has been rumbling on for months, is one of a series of planned strikes by the staff. They warn morale is “in the red”. It is being seen by some insiders as a sign of the obstacles Brittin will face as he attempts to implement sweeping cuts right across the corporation that aim to save hundreds of millions. Brittin, who will address staff tomorrow, has been spending the last few weeks visiting various parts of the BBC . Insiders say he has shown particular interest in the costs of production as he begins the task of finding budget cuts of 10%. Matt Brittin arrived for his first day at Broadcasting House as staff staged a picket. Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters In a message to staff, Brittin – who replaces Tim Davie – said his visits had “underlined just what an extraordinary, priceless asset the BBC is for all of us”. …