BBC staff call off strike after pensions move
A planned strike by thousands of BBC staff during next week's Conservative party conference was called off last night after unions said they had received a "significantly improved" offer over pensions.
Journalists, technicians and other staff had been due to walk out next Tuesday and Wednesday, midway through the Conservatives' annual gathering in Birmingham, hitting the Corporation's coverage of David Cameron's keynote speech.
The new offer will go to a ballot of members of Bectu, the National Union of Journalists and Unite, although officials warned that strikes would still go ahead later in the month if the deal is rejected.
Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband had earlier called on BBC staff to broadcast Mr Cameron's speech in the "interests of impartiality and fairness".