BBC top brass ‘in scramble to stop gender pay crisis’
BBC bosses are reportedly engaged in a series of desperate battles to settle equal pay cases before they go to tribunals.
Executives are said to have scrambled into action following presenter Samira Ahmed’s high-profile dispute with the corporation.
The BBC is now believed to be asking other women with similar complaints if they would be prepared to make an out-of-court deal. It has previously been claimed that up to a dozen staff are launching cases over the issue of unequal pay between men and women colleagues.
One insider told The Guardian: ‘They’ve spent a huge amount of money telling women they don’t have a claim but now they’re approaching women as they head to tribunal and offering to make it go away.’
The cases centre on allegations women are paid less than men because of their gender despite doing equivalent work.
Miss Ahmed claimed she earned a ‘fraction’ of what Jeremy Vine received for similar work and is asking for nearly £700,000 in back pay.
She compared the £440 per episode she was paid on Newswatch with Vine’s £3,000 per show for Points of View.
A judgement is expected in the next few weeks.
In June 2018, the BBC apologised to former China editor Carrie Gracie for paying her less than male counterparts.
She was given an estimated £200,000 in back pay as a result of a deal with the broadcaster, which she donated to charity.
Miss Gracie claimed last October that up to 12 more BBC women could launch employment tribunals.
During Miss Ahmed’s case, it emerged that the broadcaster increased the salaries of 758 employees – a third of them men – after the gender pay row erupted in 2017.
The tribunal also heard how Vine’s agent had told the BBC
‘Offer to make it go away’
to stop treating the Radio 2 presenter ‘like a chattel’ and give him a pay hike.
A corporation spokesman said: ‘The BBC has undertaken significant changes to pay and grading. It is in this context that there have been a large number of pay queries.
‘The majority are addressed through our internal processes and do not result in any changes to individuals’ pay.
‘A tiny percentage end up in dispute or tribunal. Our approach has not changed.
‘We continue to try to engage with our staff to resolve disputes where it is possible and appropriate. However, mindful of our obligations to the licence feepayer, we will robustly defend our position at tribunal if necessary.’