LONDON, May 23 (Xinhuanet) - Journalists, broadcasting workers and other employees at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) started a 24-hour strike Monday over plans to cut 3,780 jobs to make savings of 355 million pounds (663.37 million US dollars).

    Members with the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and two other unions representing technical workers participated in the strike on Sunday at midnight 2300 GMT to protest the plans announced in March by BBC Director General Mark Thompson.

    The walkout, expected to be participated in by about 11,000 of BBC's 27,000 staff, is the first of four planned strikes.

    The NUJ and the two other unions voted on May 12 to authorize four strike days: 24 hours on May 23, 48 hours over May 31 and June 1, and a fourth day without a set date.

    The strike caused disruption across its radio, television and internet output.

    BBC One's Breakfast program was running with a basic service and one presenter. Its flagship "Today" program on Radio 4 was replaced by a pre-recorded program on music and BBC 2's news program "Newsnight" was expected to be canceled later on Monday.  

    BBC television news bulletins and 24-hour channel BBC News 24 could also be badly affected. 

    Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ, said it would be the biggest strike against the BBC in living memory.

    He also called on the BBC to "understand and respond to the anger and concern at job cuts which will undermine quality, threaten the working conditions of staff and devalue the BBC for viewers and listeners".

    "We have made it clear we will not accept cuts which decimate programs, devalue the BBC, short change license fee payers, increase pressures on staff and worsen working conditions," Dear added.

    Playing down the effects of the dispute, the BBC said that it regretted the strike action and warned the unions that industrial action would put the corporation's relationship with the public at risk, adding it would do everything it could to produce the best possible service.

    "Industrial action will not remove the need for further consultation or the need for the BBC to implement changes which will enable us to put more money into improved programs and services," it said in a statement.

    The BBC was meanwhile preparing to hire strike-busting freelance television crews to help keep its coverage of the world-famous horticultural Chelsea Flower Show on air, the Mail on Sunday newspaper said.

    Thompson announced in March the job cuts of 3,780 in the next three years, but sent a special message to the staff last Friday saying he wanted to return to negotiations with the unions as soon as possible.  Enditem