The BBC director general, Mark Thompson, yesterday agreed to further talks next week with unions threatening to strike over his plans to cut 4,000 jobs.
In a letter to the leaders of the broadcasting union Bectu, the National Union of Journalists, and Amicus, Mr Thompson said it would be "useful" to meet to clarify the offer he made last week following negotiations at the government conciliation service, Acas.
That offer, to freeze compulsory redundancies for a year and to retain BBC Resources as an in-house department for at least two years, was rejected by the unions on Monday.
Mr Thompson, who hopes to make annual savings of £355m within three years to reinvest in programming and technology, again warned that "we simply do not have any further movement to make on the offer we tabled at Acas and to suggest otherwise would be disingenuous".
He added that the offer, including an assurance that the savings plan would be reviewed in 2007 to see if staff could be redeployed, would be withdrawn unless management secured the "cooperation" of the unions.
But his more conciliatory tone has raised hopes among union officials that he will give further ground and a way can be found to avoid compulsory redundancies. They will ask Mr Thompson to agree further talks at divisional level in an effort to avoid further strike action.
