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Carrie Gracie leaves the BBC’s reputation in shreds over equal pay Carrie Gracie leaves the BBC’s reputation in shreds over equal pay
(about 1 hour later)
The former China editor had a gripping story to tell MPs about how her pay fell £100,000 behind that of her male colleagues Former China editor had gripping story to tell MPs about how her pay fell £100,000 behind male colleagues
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Wed 31 Jan 2018 18.56 GMTWed 31 Jan 2018 18.56 GMT
Last modified on Wed 31 Jan 2018 19.05 GMT Last modified on Wed 31 Jan 2018 19.59 GMT
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It was all about pay equality. But this was one gig that Carrie Gracie was prepared to do pro bono. The former BBC China editor has broken many big stories in her 30 years at the Beeb, but the two and a half hours in which she took centre stage before the culture select committee may yet prove to be the most influential performance of her career. In turn both forensic and passionate, Gracie singlehandedly very publicly exposed the gender pay gap at the BBC. By the end, the broadcaster’s reputation was in tatters.It was all about pay equality. But this was one gig that Carrie Gracie was prepared to do pro bono. The former BBC China editor has broken many big stories in her 30 years at the Beeb, but the two and a half hours in which she took centre stage before the culture select committee may yet prove to be the most influential performance of her career. In turn both forensic and passionate, Gracie singlehandedly very publicly exposed the gender pay gap at the BBC. By the end, the broadcaster’s reputation was in tatters.
Committee chairman Damian Collins started by asking Gracie to talk him through how she came to be China editor in 2014. It wasn’t a straightforward decision, she said. The offer came at a difficult time in her children’s schooling and she only accepted when James Harding, then the head of news, went down on bended knee and begged her to take the job. He was desperate. Not just to promote senior women in general but to promote her in particular. She wasn’t just the best qualified person for the job. She was the only qualified person for the job. The committee chairman, Damian Collins, started by asking Gracie to talk him through how she came to be China editor in 2014. It wasn’t a straightforward decision, she said. The offer came at a difficult time in her children’s schooling and she only accepted when James Harding, then the head of news, went down on bended knee and begged her to take the job. He was desperate. Not just to promote senior women in general but to promote her in particular. She wasn’t just the best qualified person for the job. She was the only qualified person for the job.
Gracie relented. She fancied the challenge of telling the China story and was given assurances by Fran Unsworth, then head of news gathering at the BBC, that she would be paid roughly in line with male international news editors. And all was sweet until the middle of last year when the Beeb was forced to publish a list of its highest earning employees. It emerged then that the US editor, Jon Sopel, and the Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, were earning considerably more than both Gracie and Katya Adler, the Europe editor. Pay parity? What pay parity?Gracie relented. She fancied the challenge of telling the China story and was given assurances by Fran Unsworth, then head of news gathering at the BBC, that she would be paid roughly in line with male international news editors. And all was sweet until the middle of last year when the Beeb was forced to publish a list of its highest earning employees. It emerged then that the US editor, Jon Sopel, and the Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen, were earning considerably more than both Gracie and Katya Adler, the Europe editor. Pay parity? What pay parity?
After a couple of days to consider her position, Gracie put in an equal pay claim that quickly escalated to a Defcon One grievance procedure. She was told that the Beeb would expedite her claim. Which meant that it would get round to giving her an answer on the 89th day of the statutory 90-day period. Its findings were that it had inadvertently underpaid her by £100,000 since 2014 and could they now kiss and make up as the errors had nothing to do with gender pay discrimination?After a couple of days to consider her position, Gracie put in an equal pay claim that quickly escalated to a Defcon One grievance procedure. She was told that the Beeb would expedite her claim. Which meant that it would get round to giving her an answer on the 89th day of the statutory 90-day period. Its findings were that it had inadvertently underpaid her by £100,000 since 2014 and could they now kiss and make up as the errors had nothing to do with gender pay discrimination?
They couldn’t. By now Gracie was struggling to believe a word anyone in a senior managerial post had told her and she refused the handout. “I didn’t want the money,” she said. “I wanted robust data for people’s different salary levels. I wanted acknowledgment that my work was as good as my male colleagues.” What she got, was the bizarre explanation that she had been underpaid because she was in “development”. They couldn’t. By now Gracie was struggling to believe a word anyone in a senior managerial post had told her and she refused the handout. “I didn’t want the money,” she said. “I wanted robust data for people’s different salary levels. I wanted acknowledgment that my work was as good as my male colleagues.” What she got was the bizarre explanation that she had been underpaid because she was in “development”.
This prompted an outburst of nervous laughter in the room. “I’m getting emotional,” said Gracie, her face a mixture of cold fury and just a hint of tears. This was music to the ears of the committee. So many of their hearings are excruciatingly dull that to have someone as articulate as Gracie with such a compelling story to tell was pure gold. They determined to make the most of it by asking Gracie to repeat her story over and over again in greater and greater detail. This prompted an outburst of nervous laughter in the room. “I’m getting emotional,” said Gracie, her face a mixture of cold fury and just a hint of tears. This was music to the ears of the committee. So many of their hearings are so excruciatingly dull that to have someone as articulate as Gracie with such a compelling story to tell was pure gold. They determined to make the most of it by asking Gracie to repeat her story over and over again in greater and greater detail.
Like the true professional she is, Gracie was happy to oblige. With every new detail her story moved beyond the simply outrageous into the increasingly surreal. A tragicomedy not even dreamed up by the creators of W1A. Strangest of all was that it was a woman at the Beeb who, according to Gracie, had done as much as anyone to perpetuate the gender pay gap. She reserved her most contemptuous remarks for Unsworth, accusing her of misremembering details of their conversations and briefing against her to the press by suggesting she worked part-time.Like the true professional she is, Gracie was happy to oblige. With every new detail her story moved beyond the simply outrageous into the increasingly surreal. A tragicomedy not even dreamed up by the creators of W1A. Strangest of all was that it was a woman at the Beeb who, according to Gracie, had done as much as anyone to perpetuate the gender pay gap. She reserved her most contemptuous remarks for Unsworth, accusing her of misremembering details of their conversations and briefing against her to the press by suggesting she worked part-time.
“Our business at the BBC is the truth,” Gracie said. “How can we be trusted to report on anything if we don’t tell the truth?” By the time she finished giving evidence, no one on the committee could complain they weren’t in command of the facts. Gracie 1, BBC 0.“Our business at the BBC is the truth,” Gracie said. “How can we be trusted to report on anything if we don’t tell the truth?” By the time she finished giving evidence, no one on the committee could complain they weren’t in command of the facts. Gracie 1, BBC 0.
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The politics sketchThe politics sketch
Equal payEqual pay
WomenWomen
GenderGender
House of Commons
Television industry
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