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BBC's China editor resigns in protest over gender pay gap BBC's China editor resigns in protest over gender pay gap
(35 minutes later)
Carrie Gracie, the BBC’s China editor, has resigned from the role citing the gender pay gap, the corporation has confirmed. One of the most senior journalists at the BBC has resigned from her post because of the gender pay gap at the corporation, accusing it of a “secretive and illegal” pay culture.
Gracie, who has worked for the BBC for more than 30 years, quit the post last week but will continue to work for the BBC. In a significant escalation of the pay row at the BBC, Carrie Gracie said she was resigning from her position as China editor while accusing the corporation of breaking equality laws and saying she did not trust management to deal with the problem.
In a letter addressed to the BBC’s audience, which was leaked to BuzzFeed, Gracie accused the BBC of a “secretive and illegal pay culture”. Gracie said there was a “crisis of trust” at the BBC and that it was “not living up to its stated values of trust, honesty and accountability”.
She wrote: “With great regret, I have left my post as China editor to speak out publicly on a crisis of trust at the BBC. The BBC belongs to you, the licence fee payer. I believe you have a right to know that it is breaking equality law and resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure.” Gracie has worked for the BBC for 30 years and is scheduled to be a co-presenter of the Today programme on Radio 4 on Monday morning. She is widely regarded as one of the BBC’s most talented journalists. Gracie said she wanted to return to her old post in the BBC newsroom “where I expect to be paid equally”.
In July the BBC ordered a review into pay after facing widespread condemnation when it revealed that only a third of its 96 top earners were women and the top seven were all men. The gender pay row at the BBC erupted last summer when it published a list of its top-earning on-air stars, which revealed that just a third were women and the top seven were all men. This led to more than 40 of its highest-profile female presenters, including Clare Balding, Fiona Bruce and Emily Maitlis, to publicly call for change through a letter to director general Tony Hall.
At the time more than 40 of its highest-profile female presenters, including Clare Balding, Fiona Bruce and Emily Maitlis, publicly called for change. The furore prompted the BBC to review its pay structure, with the corporation finding that men are being paid 9.3% more than women at the broadcaster on average and that nearly 500 employees may be getting paid less than colleagues in a similar role simply because of their gender. However, senior women at the BBC, including Jane Garvey, the presenter of Women’s Hour on Radio 4, openly questioned the validity of the the report.
The review found that on average men were being paid 9.3% more than women at the BBC, and nearly 500 employees may have been getting paid less than colleagues in a similar role because of their gender. In an open letter to BBC licence fee payers, which was first reported by BuzzFeed, Gracie criticised the broadcaster for the gender pay gap and its efforts to eradicate it.
Gracie said that since July’s revelations, “patience and goodwill” were running out and the BBC had attempted “a botched solution based on divide and rule”. “The BBC belongs to you, the licence fee payer. I believe you have a right to know that it is breaking equality law and resisting pressure for a fair and transparent pay structure,” she said. “On pay, the BBC is not living up to its stated values of trust, honesty and accountability.
She wrote: “It has offered some women pay ‘revisions’ which do not guarantee equality, while locking down other women in a protracted complaints process. “Salary disclosures the BBC was forced to make six months ago revealed not only unacceptably high pay for top presenters and managers but also an indefensible pay gap between men and women doing equal work. These revelations damaged the trust of BBC staff. For the first time, women saw hard evidence of what they’d long suspected, that they are not being valued equally.
“We have felt trapped. Speaking out carries the risk of disciplinary measures or even dismissal; litigation can destroy careers and be financially ruinous. What’s more, the BBC often settles cases out of court and demands non-disclosure agreements, a habit unworthy of an organisation committed to truth and one which does nothing to resolve the systemic problem.” “Many have since sought pay equality through internal negotiation but managers still deny there is a problem. This bunker mentality is likely to end in a disastrous legal defeat for the BBC and an exodus of female talent at every level.”
She said it was painful to leave China but she would return to her former post in the TV newsroom, “where I expect to be paid equally”. Gracie said that over the past four years the BBC has had four international editors – two men and two women – and the men earned at last 50% more than the women. She said the BBC had offered a pay rise but this was “far short” of equality with her male peers and the broadcaster had failed to justify the difference.
A BBC spokeswoman said: “Fairness in pay is vital. A significant number of organisations have now published their gender pay figures showing that we are performing considerably better than many and are well below the national average. “The BBC must admit the problem, apologise and set in place an equal, fair and transparent pay structure,” she said.
“Alongside that, we have already conducted a independent judge-led audit of pay for rank-and-file staff which showed no systemic discrimination against women. A separate report for on-air staff will be published in the not-too-distant future.” “To avoid wasting your licence fee on an unwinnable court fight against female staff, the BBC should immediately agree to independent arbitration to settle individual cases.
“Patience and goodwill are running out. In the six months since July’s revelations, the BBC has attempted a botched solution based on divide and rule. It has offered some women pay ‘revisions’ which do not guarantee equality, while locking down other women in a protracted complaints process.”
In response, a BBC spokesperson said: “Fairness in pay is vital. A significant number of organisations have now published their gender pay figures showing that we are performing considerably better than many and are well below the national average. Alongside that, we have already conducted a independent judge-led audit of pay for rank and file staff which showed ‘no systemic discrimination against women’.
“A separate report for on-air staff will be published in the not too distant future.”