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BBC in real trouble over equal pay, Carrie Gracie tells MPs Trust is broken at BBC over equal pay, Carrie Gracie tells MPs
(about 2 hours later)
Former China editor accuses corporation of failing to live its values as it faces 300 claims Former China editor effectively accuses corporation of lying and briefing against her
Graham Ruddick Media editorGraham Ruddick Media editor
Wed 31 Jan 2018 16.38 GMTWed 31 Jan 2018 16.38 GMT
Last modified on Wed 31 Jan 2018 18.01 GMT Last modified on Wed 31 Jan 2018 20.23 GMT
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The BBC is “in real trouble” over the equal pay row that has rocked the organisation, Carrie Gracie has said in extremely damaging evidence to MPs. Carrie Gracie has said in extraordinary evidence to MPs that the management of the BBC is incapable of resolving its gender pay crisis and needs external help.
The former China editor for the corporation made a series of damning claims about its management in an extraordinary hearing, including that they were not living up to the BBC’s values, that they had briefed against her by saying she worked part-time, and that women were being made to feel belittled and their work was being marginalised. The corporation’s former China editor eviscerated its bosses during a two-hour hearing with the digital, culture, media and sport select committee.
Her comments will increase the pressure on the BBC over pay equality, which began last summer when the broadcaster’s pay list revealed that two-thirds of its best paid on-air staff were men. She accused the BBC of effectively lying her to by saying she would be paid the same as male peers, briefing against her to the media by claiming she worked part-time, and belittling women at the corporation to justify paying them less than men.
Gracie was called to appear in front of MPs after resigning as China editor earlier this month in protest at the BBC’s “secretive and illegal” pay culture and not being paid the same as the North American and Middle Eastern editors, despite insisting on equal pay with other international editors before taking the China job.
The comments will ramp up the pressure on the BBC’s director general, Tony Hall, and the rest of its management about the equal pay row, which began last summer when the broadcaster revealed that two-thirds of its best paid on-air were men.
A report by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) published on Tuesday concluded there was “no evidence” of gender bias in pay decisions at the BBC, but Gracie lambasted the findings and the BBC management reaction to the equal pay row.
Gracie, who was visibly upset during the hearing, claimed the PwC report would not have been accepted as a piece of journalism at the BBC.
“If we are not prepared to look at ourselves honestly how can we be trusted to look at anything else honestly?” she said. “
She reserved specific criticism for Hall, saying it was “unacceptable” that he had opposed government demands for the BBC to publish how much it pays on-air presenters.
On his response to the publication of the pay list and the subsequent furore, she said: “I told him you have to show courage, you have to show leadership, you have to be brave on this issue. We are still waiting.”
Gracie also criticised James Harding and Fran Unsworth, the previous and current director of news at the BBC. She said a former BBC journalist had told her that at an alumni event last year that Unsworth had said Gracie worked part-time, and she criticised comments by Harding last year that the BBC did not have an equal pay problem.
Unsworth denied she said Gracie worked part-time but added that she has apologised to her “if my language was loose which led to some kind of misunderstanding”, while Hall said he condemned anyone who had briefed against the journalist.
Gracie called for the BBC to bring in independent arbitration to settle the wave of equal pay claims it faces, warning that it is “stumbling towards a Greek tragedy” in the shape of defeats in employment tribunals.
Michelle Stanistreet, the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, told the committee the BBC faced 297 equal pay claims.
“Trust is broken between a lot of the women involved and management and it’s very difficult to fix without external help,” said Gracie.
Gracie revealed to MPs that her own internal grievance case with the BBC concluded last week that she was “inadvertently” not paid enough while China editor. However, it also ruled that one of the reasons she was paid less than male counterparts is that she had been “in development” for the first three years of her four in the job, despite the fact she is 55 and has worked for the BBC for more than 30 years.
A long-awaited analysis of the pay of 824 on-air stars by accountancy firm PwC. This was promised following the backlash to the publication of the BBC’s pay list last summer, which showed that two-thirds of its best-paid on-air stars were men.A long-awaited analysis of the pay of 824 on-air stars by accountancy firm PwC. This was promised following the backlash to the publication of the BBC’s pay list last summer, which showed that two-thirds of its best-paid on-air stars were men.
It says there is "no evidence" of gender bias but acknowledges "anomalies" that may create the impression of gendered unfairness. The BBC has set out a five-point plan for resolving the issue including new criteria for pay decisions and greater transparency.It says there is "no evidence" of gender bias but acknowledges "anomalies" that may create the impression of gendered unfairness. The BBC has set out a five-point plan for resolving the issue including new criteria for pay decisions and greater transparency.
No, far from it. The BBC Women campaign group says the report lacks transparency and does not properly tackle equal pay, partly because it does not say which employees and roles it is specifically comparing. Other critics have accused the BBC of obfuscating about the pay row.No, far from it. The BBC Women campaign group says the report lacks transparency and does not properly tackle equal pay, partly because it does not say which employees and roles it is specifically comparing. Other critics have accused the BBC of obfuscating about the pay row.
Tony Hall, the director-general of the BBC, will be questioned by MPs on Wednesday about the pay row. Carrie Gracie will also appear after resigning as the BBC’s China editor in protest at its “secretive and illegal” pay culture. Beyond these hearings - which promise to be fiery - the BBC will consult will staff about its new proposals before they are finalised. It faces a collective grievance about pay inequality led by the National Union of Journalists.Tony Hall, the director-general of the BBC, will be questioned by MPs on Wednesday about the pay row. Carrie Gracie will also appear after resigning as the BBC’s China editor in protest at its “secretive and illegal” pay culture. Beyond these hearings - which promise to be fiery - the BBC will consult will staff about its new proposals before they are finalised. It faces a collective grievance about pay inequality led by the National Union of Journalists.
Gracie resigned as China editor earlier this month in protest at the “secretive and illegal” pay culture at the BBC. She said that when she took the China job she was told she would be paid the same as male international editors. “It’s an insult to add to injury,” she said of the findings. “I would never have gone to China on those terms.”
In a hearing with MPs on the digital, culture, sport and media committee, Gracie revealed that an internal grievance case with the BBC had concluded last week that she was “inadvertently” not paid enough over the previous four years as China editor but that she had been “in development” for the first three. The 55-year-old was offered a £45,000 pay rise but has rejected the offer. Gracie was offered a £45,000 pay rise and £100,000 in back pay for 2014, 2015 and 2016, but has rejected this.
“Its an insult to add to injury,” Gracie said of the findings. “I would never have gone to China on those terms.” She constantly spoke of her passion for the BBC during the hearing and was supported by a collection of past and present BBC presenters who sat behind her in the committee room.
She told MPs she “had resisted doing the job because I thought it wasn’t the great time for my children”, who were starting A-level studies. Hall told MPs after Gracie’s appearance that he held her in the “greatest regard” but did not agree the China editor should be paid the same as the North America editor because of the difference in the “scope and scale” of the jobs.
She said the then head of news, James Harding, “did what he called ‘getting down on bended knee’ to persuade me to go”. “The idea that every single BBC editor ... should be paid the same amount isn’t something I agree with. It’s not a matter of gender, there are balances between the different editors,” he said.
“The BBC was very concerned to put more senior women and older women on-air. I could see their point. I thought we did need [that]. Although Hall insisted there was no systemic gender discrimination at the BBC, he apologised to Gracie for the handling of her grievance and admitted the broadcaster had got things wrong.
“I said at the time that I had to be paid equally. I knew that we had been underpaid by comparison to male peers. Not absolutely, but we knew there was inequality. We didn’t know the details because the BBC is extremely secretive on pay. Hall admitted there may be some equal pay claims where the broadcaster needs to take action. However, he defended his handling of the pay row at the BBC. “I am not reactive, we have been proactive in bringing in these reforms,” Hall said of plans to make the BBC’s pay policy more transparent and structured.
“I knew I’d give the China job every last ounce of my skin and stamina. I knew I would do that job at least as good as any man. Gracie had previously told MPs about how she had been reluctant to take the China job in the first place. She said that she had resisted doing the job because it was not a great time for her children”, who were starting A-level studies. Gracie’s daughter also had leukaemia before she became China editor while Gracie herself had breast cancer twice.
“I insisted on equal pay. I thought I had won a commitment to pay parity when I set off to China which is why I got such a shock [when BBC salaries were revealed].”
The BBC’s pay review showed Gracie was being paid £130,000, substantially less than Jon Sopel, the North America editor, and Jeremy Bowen, the Middle East editor, who received between £200,000 and £250,000, and £150,000 and £200,000 respectively.
Gracie told the committee: “I would like to put on record that I admire the work of my male peers as international editors.
“I’ve been proud to stand alongside them as an international editor for four years. What I want to talk about more is the sense in which my case is just an example of a bigger problem.
“I was a senior person who they really wanted to keep in position … if the BBC can’t sort it out for me, then how can it sort it out for more vulnerable people who don’t have a public profile?”
Gracie, who was visibly upset during the hearing, said of the BBC’s handling of the pay crisis: “If we are not prepared to look at ourselves honestly, how can we be trusted to look at anything else honestly.
“We are not living our values. It makes me angry, it makes me disappointed, it makes me desperately anxious about the future of the BBC.”
Gracie said her worst day at the BBC was after her grievance hearing in November. The notes from the hearing were “nine pages of errors and spin” and “that was the point I realised we [the BBC] are really in trouble”.
The situation at the BBC was unsustainable: “The first defeat is that many women will leave.”
Gracie said the BBC was “stumbling towards a Greek tragedy” in its handling of equal pay claims and said it faced losing employment tribunals.
Michelle Stanistreet, the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, told the committee the BBC faced 297 equal pay claims, including 133 on-air staff and 151 off-air staff.
BBCBBC
Pay
Equal payEqual pay
GenderGender
InequalityInequality
Work & careersWork & careers
Television industry
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