BBC editorial and technical staff returned to work at midnight local time after a 24-hour walkout to protest proposed deep staffing cuts.

An excerpt:

The BBC said 38% of staff due to work joined the walkout over plans to cut 3,780 jobs, though unions said they believed up to 55% had taken part.

The BBC urged unions to return to talks but were accused of failing to hold "meaningful negotiations" with staff.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Bectu, the engineers' union, now play a further 48-hour walkout on 31 May and 1 June. ...

The job cuts and plans to privatise parts of the BBC were "savage" and would "decimate programmes [and] devalue the BBC", the unions said.

But director general Mark Thompson said they were necessary to prepare the corporation for a hi-tech future and invest more in programmes.