The BBC has reached a pay agreement with trade unions that will see most members receive a flat £450 increase this year instead of a percentage rise.
The corporation met representatives from the National Union of Journalists, Bectu and Unite yesterday.
During the five-hour meeting, the BBC argued that the current economic climate had placed extra strain on the annual licence fee rise.
And according to Bectu, the corporation revealed it had considered imposing a pay freeze on all staff, not just those earning more than £60,000 a year.
The pay rise will take effect on 1 August and represents a rise of 1.5 per cent on the average BBC salary.
In a joint statement, all the parties said they “recognised that the negotiations were taking place in exceptional economic circumstances”.
It said: “Both the BBC and the unions acknowledged the role that BBC staff had played in a challenging environment of 7,000 post closures in the last five years, and also that the BBC had previously indicated that any pay settlement this year would have to be very modest and targeted towards the lowest paid.
“With these factors in mind, a flat rate increase of £450 per annum was agreed. It was agreed that all allowances will be frozen at their present level.”
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