News on repeat at strike-hit BBC: Staff walk out in a dispute over 2,000 job losses, workload and claims of bullying A 12-hour walkout began leaving not enough workers for a live broadcast Instead the previous hours news was played between noon until 1pm By Paul Revoir and Alasdair Glennie It's the channel that prides itself on up to the minute 24-hour rolling news. But viewers of the BBC's news channel yesterday were left with a sense of déjà vu after the corporation was forced to repeat an entire hour of news as a result of striking staff. A 12-hour walk-out began at midday leaving the corporation's news room without enough workers to put out a live service. From 12pm until 1pm broadcasting bosses instead aired a repeat of the previous hour's rolling news coverage and plastered a sign across the top of the screen simply saying "Recorded." But at times the move appeared confusing as one of the correspondents told viewers he was "live" from Nicosia in Cyprus and a presenter said "good morning" when it was afternoon. Viewers of the BBC¿s news channel yesterday were left with a sense of déjà vu after the corporation was forced to repeat an entire hour of news as a result of striking staff Viewers reacted with bemusement to the situation claiming it was "definitely time to turn off" and commented on the confusion caused by the situation. The problems were caused by a strike by journalists and technical staff, in a row over jobs, workload and claims of bullying, which caused well-known shows to be dropped for the day. The strike, until midnight, led to the cancellation of BBC 2"s Newsnight, Radio 4"s PM and the World Tonight. There are further threats of stoppages to come at the BBC as the corporation makes savings and yesterday's action will be followed by a "work to rule." The BBC apologised for disruption caused by the strike but said it could not agree to union calls for compulsory job losses to be postponed. Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the technicians" union Bectu mounted picket lines outside BBC centres, including New Broadcasting House in central London. The unions are protesting at the Delivering Quality First (DQF) programme which will lead to 2,000 job losses. A 12-hour walk-out began at midday leaving the corporation¿s news room without enough workers to put out a live service Viewers aired their bafflement at the situation on the news channel from midday yesterday. One wrote: "Odd. BBC News Channel has a big "recorded" banner at the top of the screen, and has just started with "Good morning." Problems? Another wrote: "BBC News Channel running pre-recorded output - "Hello Good Morning..." One added: "BBC on strike, BBC News channel output is recorded from this morning." The BBC said last night that the first hour of the strike on the news channel had shown recorded coverage from the previous hour to manage the transition into the strike period. They claimed this had also happened during previous strikes. Yesterday Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, who joined strikers in London, said workers were sending a clear message to the BBC that it needed to address problems created by the ¿ill-conceived and badly-implemented¿ cuts Initially more than 100 people massed outside Broadcasting House as part of the action. At its peak, a thick picket line sprawled across the width of the main entrance. However within 30 minutes the group's numbers dwindled to about a dozen, who stood in a small group, holding placards in front of the centre's glass revolving doors. Some claimed that staff were being "bullied" to do more work as a result of the cuts. But not all of the BBC's reporters were on the picket line. Chief political correspondent Norman Smith wrote on Twitter "What to do while on BBC strike?" before adding he was going to the Royal Opera House with his youngest daughter. Yesterday Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, who joined strikers in London, said workers were sending a clear message to the BBC that it needed to address problems created by the "ill-conceived and badly-implemented" cuts. She said: "It is disappointing that once again the BBC has decided not to properly engage, refusing our call for a moratorium to give space for meaningful discussions on the worrying impact of the cuts. The DQF plans remain on the table, regardless of the consequence for workload and stress levels. We know that the cuts are already having an impact on the quality of work. We know that it is leading to unacceptable workloads and stress. We know that management is using DQF as a means to harass and bully staff - making worse an already entrenched problem of bullying that has been largely ignored by those in positions of power. Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of Bectu, told the strikers that a meeting had been arranged with new BBC director general Tony Hall next month, when he will be urged to try to renegotiate the licence fee with the Government. He said: "Our members are suffering because the BBC thinks it can deliver the same levels of output with many fewer staff. The reality is that excessive workloads caused by massive job cuts are already taking their toll, with staff reporting more stress, more bullying and more harassment. Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of Bectu, told the strikers that a meeting had been arranged with new BBC director general Tony Hall next month, when he will be urged to try to renegotiate the licence fee with the Government The BBC has a duty of care which it is not exercising currently and it is great pity that strike action is needed to make senior managers take the issues seriously. He said further strikes will be held unless the deadlock is broken. The NUJ and Bectu have called for a six-month moratorium on job cuts to allow for a review of workplace issues. A BBC spokesman said: "We are extremely disappointed that the unions have gone ahead with the strike and apologise to our audiences for the disruption to services. We have had constructive meetings with the unions in recent weeks and whilst we're unable to postpone planned compulsory redundancies for six months as they requested, we do agree that stress and workload are areas of real concern. If workloads are going up because of the pressures of working in a 24/7 digital media environment and implementing savings, it's in everyone's interest to understand the issues and work with individuals, their managers and the unions to address it. Union officials warned that the work to rule will hit programmes, with staff sticking to their hours and refusing to work over their shifts.