It's the first BBC strike day and I, like thousands of other employees, am staying away from work.

With so few journalists reporting for duty, the news output I've seen and heard this morning looks and sounds pretty pathetic.

I voted against strike action.

No-one could claim the BBC is most streamlined organisation in the world.

The way Mark Thompson presented the job cuts was clumsy. Even so, change and, sadly, job losses are a necessary part of the Charter Review process.

But despite my misgivings, members of my union -- the NUJ -- voted overwhelmingly in favour of a walk-out.

The union was there to advise and support me after my accident, and I see it as my duty to return the favour. For me, reporting for duty on a strike day would be like joining the army and then refusing to go to war.

So I won't be manning the picket lines -- but I won't be crossing them either.