TUC Congress 2026 backs BBC workers
Unions expressed overwhelming support for government intervention to protect public service broadcasting on the third day of TUC Congress 2026.
The NUJ has been busy at this year's Congress, held in Brighton from 13-16 September. On the opening days of conference, the union's delegates won support for a tech tax, amplified calls for stronger freelance rights, and highlighted the work of journalists in countering misinformation and far right narratives.
Protecting public service broadcasting
On the third day of Congress, Fran McNulty, NUJ joint president, moved a motion expressing support for workers at the BBC and other public service broadcasters.
McNulty, who works for Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ, underlined the pressures facing members in the broadcasting sector due to constant cuts. The BBC recently announced plans to cut 2,000 jobs; STV has cut newsrooms and local programming; Comcast's takeover of ITV has raised concerns over media concentration and funding for local news; and last week Channel 4 announced plans to cut almost a quarter of its staff.
"Each cut to public service media is a cut to our democracy, and this impacts us all," said McNulty. "Every cut reduces the ability of actors to enchant, musicians to entertain, journalists to expose, camera operators to capture, painters to paint, carpenters to build sets. Writers to broaden our minds. The electricians, the cleaners, the cooks and dozens of other trades that keep public service broadcasting on the air."
McNulty noted that the world would be "much darker" without the BBC. Social media companies operate in "a wild west with little regulation" and "zero editorial scrutiny", serving shareholders - not the people. This means that a tech billionaire can buy a platform like Twitter and turn it into "a cesspit of hate, racism, abuse and misinformation."
© Natasha Hirst
Calling for solidarity with BBC staff and freelances, McNulty said.
"The NUJ, as part of its ‘Back The BBC’ campaign, is joining sister unions in calling for the resources and reforms the BBC needs to provide a quality public service that serves communities all over the UK. This includes addressing those institutional issues: ending political appointments on the BBC board, introducing worker representation, and providing proper, universal funding.
"Yet, in the dying days of the current Charter, the knives are out. A new leadership team is dissecting services, cutting spending and jobs. These very decisions must not be allowed to dictate what comes next. In the coming months the government is due to publish its white paper on the future of the BBC, setting out its policies and its direction.
"We need urgent intervention now to stop the damage to our public service broadcaster; the forthcoming budget is an opportunity to send a practical signal backing workers at the BBC.
"It is an opportunity to redress the swingeing funding deficit created by successive freezing of the licence fee; created by requiring the BBC rather than government to fund free licences for over 75 years olds; created by cuts to BBC World Service funding.
"Workers at the BBC need to know their commitment to serving the public is valued; that means real, meaningful and urgent intervention.
"Congress sends this clear message to the government. Stop. Stop the cuts. Invest to inform, invest to entertain, and invest to protect our valuable democracy."
The NUJ's motion, which was composited with a similar motion from the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), instructed the TUC to press the government for urgent intervention to stop cuts to public service broadcasters and mobilise public support for BBC workers. This includes supporting campaigning by the Broadcasting, Entertainment & Arts Unions (BEAU) - which includes the NUJ and WGGB - as part of BBC Charter Renewal. In July, BEAU and Unite launched a public petition calling on the Director-General and Prime Minister to back the BBC and its workers.