BBC braced for gender pay row
THE BBC will this week publish the salaries of its highest earners, which, according to insiders, will reveal a stark gender pay gap.
The list of the top-paid stars will have “astounding omissions” that will expose the fact that women are not being paid as much as men in the same jobs, sources claim. They warn the revelations will be “very embarrassing” for the corporation.
Government sources say Karen Brad- ley, the Culture Secretary, is preparing to challenge the BBC, as she “cares deeply” about pay disparity.
Two Tory select committee chairmen last night also expressed concern over what the list would reveal and vowed to take BBC bosses to task over disparities.
By April next year, all companies with more than 250 employees will have to publish their gender pay gap under a new legal requirement designed to stamp out workplace discrimination. The announcements are likely to cause embarrassment, with the nationwide gender pay gap estimated to be, on aver- age, more than 18 per cent. On Wednesday, the BBC will disclose the pay of about 100 stars who earn more than £150,000, in order to provide greater transparency over how it spends its £3.7 billion of licence fee income.
It has been suggested that several household names have scrambled to reduce their salaries to keep them in line with other stars.
The pay revelations, which will be set out in £50,000 bands, are expected to feature many well-known “big beasts” of television and radio but also a handful of less well-known figures. Laura Kue- nssberg, 40, the BBC political editor, and Nick Robinson, 53, her predecessor and now presenter of Radio 4’s Today programme, who are understood to earn between £300,000 and £350,000 a year, are expected to appear on the list.
Fiona Bruce, 53, the newsreader and host of Antiques Roadshow on BBC One, is reported to earn more than £500,000 a year and Gary Lineker, 56, who presents Match of the Day, is rumoured to be on more than £1 million.
Andrew Marr, who hosts the BBC’s eponymous flagship political chat show, has insisted he earns less than a re- ported £580,000 but said last month that the publication of presenters’ pay would be “uncomfortable for all of us”.
It has been suggested that John Humphrys, whose salary has previously been reported at £375,000, is one of those to have taken a cut. Sources close to the Today presenter refused to comment on whether he had reduced his earnings as a result of gender pay disparity, but said he had voluntarily taken a “number of pay cuts over the years”.
Many stars who might be expected to be on the list are likely to avoid
scrutiny due to being paid, in part, by production companies. In future, others will be moved off the BBC’s public books and on to the accounts of its commercial arm, BBC Studios, ensuring that their salaries remain a secret.
The BBC originally agreed to disclose the salaries of on-air talent earning more than £450,000, but subsequently came under political pressure to go further. Of nine people said to be earning about that figure, only one was female, The Sunday Telegraph understands.
A senior source close to several BBC stars said this week’s revelations would force the corporation to act.
“Nowadays, there is parity in terms of how much airtime women are getting, but to my absolute knowledge there is not parity in what they are paid for that airtime,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
“There will be some astounding omissions – people who are not paid over that threshold – and there will be some: ‘Does that woman not sit beside that man? How come she is not in the same pay band as him?’”
Although the source acknowledged the instant reaction from many would be, “Golly, look how much X is paid”, there would be broader, positive ramifications. “In terms of social justice, this will force change. The issue needs to be given daylight.” The BBC refused to be drawn on who was included on the list, but pointed out excellence in the “recent” promotions and hire of women.
A BBC source said: “People should wait and see what the data show rather than jumping to conclusions. People may be surprised by how much progress we have made, particularly when compared to the rest of the broadcasting and media sector.”
Damian Collins, chairman of the Commons Culture committee, and Ma- ria Miller, chairman of the Commons Women and Equalities committee, have pledged to demand explanations over any gender pay disparities.
“Presenters doing the same job should be on an equivalent level of pay,” Mr Collins said. Ms Miller added it would be “unacceptable” for there to be a gender pay gap, adding: “Public corporations like the BBC have an obligation not just to abide by the law but set an example for other organisations. It will be extremely sad if that is not the case.”