Journalists are refusing to co-operate with BBC Scotland's plans to cut 35 staff posts.

The National Union of Journalists has claimed the process for selecting which staff members go and which stay is unfair and a breach of the BBC's own policies.

Paul Holleran, NUJ Scottish organiser, said "We are now going to an official dispute over the selection process and have asked the BBC to put it on hold. It is completely unfair. Unreasonable demands are being put on people. One woman was told she had to come hundreds of miles to be interviewed for her own job and has now been signed off with high blood pressure.

"Other people have been asked to apply for jobs for which they have no skills or relevant experience. So we are saying it is flawed and we need to start again.

"We can't tell people not to go to these selection meetings because they are nervous about their jobs. But most don't have any faith in the process so members in Aberdeen, Inverness and some in Glasgow have said they will not turn up for the meetings."

But a spokesman for the BBC said: "We recognise our savings targets are challenging and we're committed to achieving as many as possible through voluntary means. We've had a number of constructive meetings with unions and we believe our process is fair and reasonable. We have offered to meet union representatives again."