I don’t really understand what the BBC staff hope to acheive by staging these strikes. Is the management expected to turn round and say ‘Oh, alright then, you can all stay after all.’ Clearly, that’s not going to happen. The strikes will cause disruption, and make the discussions between the parties even less amicable. Clearly, if they think all staff are necessary, then a global work-to-rule makes this point rather more effectively. Everybody refusing to work leaves everybody with a sticky situation, but doesn’t move anything forward in this kind of dispute. At least as far as I can see.