This is taken from The Guardian:

Newsrooms worst hit by strikes

by Dominic Timms
Monday May 23, 2005

Nearly 60% of BBC employees scheduled to come in today crossed picket lines to report for work as usual, according to the corporation.

However, this figure fell to only 29% in BBC TV, radio and regional programming newsrooms across the country, lending credence to what broadcasting unions said was "very solid support" for the 24-hour strike.

But this support appears to have varied markedly between different departments, with an overall attendance among staff of 55%, according to the BBC.

Despite the low turnouts in some parts of its operation, the corporation said it had managed to deal with the effects of the stoppage.

"The services we have been able to offer on live programmes and the number of staff reporting for duty has been slightly better than expected," said a BBC spokeswoman.

"Figures show that nearly 60% overall have come in, although we acknowledge in some newsrooms the number of staff coming in has been as low as 15%."

But unions said the intelligence they were gathering suggested strong support across the country.

"The reports we have received from across the country tell us that this has been a very solidly supported strike," said Luke Crawley, a senior Bectu official.

"The message we are giving the BBC today is that we want to negotiate but we are not prepared to be talked at."

Virtually everyone in the BBC's television directorate and 88% of those in the drama, entertainment and children's production division were working as normal, the corporation said.

There are also high attendance rates in new media, where only 19% failed to show up for work.

Across BBC Sport 36% stayed away, along with 43% in factual and learning and 52% in radio.

BBC newsrooms across the country were badly hit, as the corporation was forced to replace its flagship morning shows, BBC1 Breakfast and Radio 4's Today programme, with largely pre-recorded alternatives.

Just 29% of those in BBC newsrooms who would normally have come in on Monday showed up today, according to the BBC, with some regional newsrooms reporting turnouts as low as 15%.

While turnout in all departments across the English regions averaged 51%, the BBC said, just over a quarter of those in Northern Ireland reported for work as usual.

The BBC said it could not yet work out how many out of its estimated 25,000-plus workforce had turned up, but said only 36% of Scottish employees and 33% of Welsh workers arrived as expected.

BBC1's scheduled 12.30pm programme about the Chelsea Flower Show went ahead as planned, but the BBC admitted it would have no live content.