This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/feb/24/bbc-bullying-claims-former-executive
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| BBC bullying claims: former executive speaks out | BBC bullying claims: former executive speaks out |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| A former head of human resources at the BBC claims he was bullied and forced out of a job after raising concerns about the way a pregnant female manager at the corporation was being treated. | A former head of human resources at the BBC claims he was bullied and forced out of a job after raising concerns about the way a pregnant female manager at the corporation was being treated. |
| The allegations by Byron Myers, denied by the BBC, have been made in a 105-page witness statement submitted to an employment tribunal in Watford, Hertfordshire. | The allegations by Byron Myers, denied by the BBC, have been made in a 105-page witness statement submitted to an employment tribunal in Watford, Hertfordshire. |
| Myers is taking legal action claiming breach of contract and constructive dismissal, and is to be cross-examined on Monday at a hearing scheduled to last 12 days and to include 14 witnesses from the BBC, including the former head of BBC Worldwide John Smith, who recently became the chief operating officer of Burberry. | Myers is taking legal action claiming breach of contract and constructive dismissal, and is to be cross-examined on Monday at a hearing scheduled to last 12 days and to include 14 witnesses from the BBC, including the former head of BBC Worldwide John Smith, who recently became the chief operating officer of Burberry. |
| Myers, 39, says he became so stressed about the way he was treated after his secret act of whistle-blowing about his boss, Mark Thomas, he had no choice but to quit his £77,000 a year job for health reasons. | Myers, 39, says he became so stressed about the way he was treated after his secret act of whistle-blowing about his boss, Mark Thomas, he had no choice but to quit his £77,000 a year job for health reasons. |
| He claims in his witness statement, which was read to the tribunal on Friday, that Thomas belittled and humiliated him in front of work colleagues and spread a rumour that he was on his "way out". | He claims in his witness statement, which was read to the tribunal on Friday, that Thomas belittled and humiliated him in front of work colleagues and spread a rumour that he was on his "way out". |
| Myers alleges the bullying began in 2011, when he moved to become head of HR at BBC Studios and Post Production (S&PP), which is one of the corporation's commercial subsidiaries responsible for the running of the studios where programmes such as Newsnight and EastEnders are made. At the time, Thomas was its CEO on £200,000 a year. | Myers alleges the bullying began in 2011, when he moved to become head of HR at BBC Studios and Post Production (S&PP), which is one of the corporation's commercial subsidiaries responsible for the running of the studios where programmes such as Newsnight and EastEnders are made. At the time, Thomas was its CEO on £200,000 a year. |
| At the opening of the tribunal last Friday, the hearing was told the case centred on the treatment of a woman, Katy Child, who was proposing to work part time in the job when she returned from maternity leave in 2009. | |
| The tribunal heard claims that she was concerned Thomas was forcing her out by refusing to allow her to work part-time or imposing conditions that effectively made that impossible. | |
| Myers said he met with Thomas in January 2011, at which the latter said Child had suggested a job share proposal. "Mr Thomas said that he was very unhappy about it ... 'that bitch has had every guy in here wrapped around her finger'. He said we needed a plan to sort this out," Myers added. | |
| He added that five days later Thomas told him he would not support Child's job share request "because he believed that women with child caring responsibilities should not hold senior management positions". | |
| Myers told the tribunal that he explained to Thomas there was a legal obligation to consider her request and not to do to would be a breach of BBC policy and the law. "Mr Thomas told me not to worry about this because his policy was remaining unwritten," the tribunal heard. | |
| Caspar Glyn, QC for the BBC, told the hearing that Myers had "made up a series of wholly untrue fictional lies about conversations with Mr Thomas". | |
| Glyn said it was untrue that Thomas had referred to the woman as a "bitch" who had the men in the office wrapped around her finger and claims he said women with child care responsibilities should not hold senior management positions was also a lie. | |
| Myers claims that in March of 2011 Thomas told him that the BBC would offer Child the job share but would "make the conditions of acceptance so onerous that Katy would have no choice but to refuse the offer". | |
| According to his witness statement, Myers said Child told him the proposal that had come back to her in response to her request required her to work 12 weeks of the year full-time and was deliberately designed to be unworkable for someone with childcare responsibilities. | |
| Myers then raised concerns about sexual discrimination under the BBC's protective disclosure procedures and an investigation into Thomas began. | |
| He said in his witness statement he "was given repeated assurances that my confidentiality would be protected" but this was not maintained. He added that "a cold war environment" developed between him and his boss. | |
| Once, Myers said, Thomas pulled him into a meeting room, pointed a finger in his face and said "If you ever challenge me again in front of one of my managers you will be fucking history before you know it – you cunt". | |
| As the stress mounted, Myers told Thomas he was thinking of leaving. He claimed Thomas told him: "Well the sooner you leave the better." | |
| Myers eventually quit in December 2011 but in a grievance complaint before his departure he questioned the judgment of Smith, then one of the most senior BBC executives, who recommended Thomas get a £120,000 bonus while the executive was "being investigated for alleged sex discrimination and harassment". | |
| According to his witness statement, Myers was told by the head of resources (corporate), Richard Burdon: "The BBC would find it difficult to admit any wrongdoing and that the organisation had to come first." | |
| Myers met Burdon the next day. "I was still stunned and angry. I said to him if it was going to be fixed in the BBC's best interest then I really would like to have known from the outset," he said. | |
| Myers joined the BBC in April 2010 and was involved in some of the biggest industrial relations negotiations during his period at the corporation, including the controversial abolition of the final salary pension scheme which aimed to saved the licence fee payer £300m. | |
| The tribunal continues. | |
| • This article was amended on 25 February 2012 to add extra material that was omitted from the originally published version |