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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/10/it-resonates-deeply-with-me-readers-on-carrie-gracies-bbc-pay-protest
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| 'It resonates deeply with me': readers on Carrie Gracie's BBC pay protest | 'It resonates deeply with me': readers on Carrie Gracie's BBC pay protest |
| (25 days later) | |
| The BBC’s Carrie Gracie resigned as China editor with an open letter to licence fee payers that described a “crisis of trust” at the corporation over men being paid more than women. | The BBC’s Carrie Gracie resigned as China editor with an open letter to licence fee payers that described a “crisis of trust” at the corporation over men being paid more than women. |
| The veteran journalist has received scores of supportive messages from a string of prominent broadcasters and politicians. She told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, on which she is also a presenter, how much she had been moved by the backing she’d received. | The veteran journalist has received scores of supportive messages from a string of prominent broadcasters and politicians. She told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, on which she is also a presenter, how much she had been moved by the backing she’d received. |
| Interviewed by her co-presenter John Humphrys, whose £600,000-plus pay packet is at least four times more than hers, Gracie said: “The support that I’ve had in the last few hours over this … does speak to the depth of hunger for an equal, fair and transparent pay system.” | Interviewed by her co-presenter John Humphrys, whose £600,000-plus pay packet is at least four times more than hers, Gracie said: “The support that I’ve had in the last few hours over this … does speak to the depth of hunger for an equal, fair and transparent pay system.” |
| She added: “What is lovely for me is that people are mentioning my China work, because I would not wish to be remembered for ever as the woman who complained about money.” | She added: “What is lovely for me is that people are mentioning my China work, because I would not wish to be remembered for ever as the woman who complained about money.” |
| We asked people to respond to the news, and share their experiences and thoughts on equal pay in their industry. | We asked people to respond to the news, and share their experiences and thoughts on equal pay in their industry. |
| ‘People who need a voice are those in lower paid roles’ | ‘People who need a voice are those in lower paid roles’ |
| Her gesture would have made more impact if she had made a stand for all the women who work for the BBC in low-paid roles and just about earn the minimum wage for doing some of the worst jobs like cleaning toilets. These are the women who, in my opinion, need a championing. | Her gesture would have made more impact if she had made a stand for all the women who work for the BBC in low-paid roles and just about earn the minimum wage for doing some of the worst jobs like cleaning toilets. These are the women who, in my opinion, need a championing. |
| I worked for a long time in construction, sometimes being paid equally to male colleagues and sometimes not, but well paid, comparatively. I strongly believe that the people who need a voice are those in lower paid roles, particularly women. | I worked for a long time in construction, sometimes being paid equally to male colleagues and sometimes not, but well paid, comparatively. I strongly believe that the people who need a voice are those in lower paid roles, particularly women. |
| I think the focus should be on people receiving a decent wage, enough to bring a family up on. Not quite earning £600,000 is not the concern of the common person, hers is the concern of an elite few.Vicky, 48, Manchester, postgraduate student | I think the focus should be on people receiving a decent wage, enough to bring a family up on. Not quite earning £600,000 is not the concern of the common person, hers is the concern of an elite few.Vicky, 48, Manchester, postgraduate student |
| ‘Not many people would do what she has done’ | ‘Not many people would do what she has done’ |
| As a licence payer, I do not expect the BBC to discriminate against talented women like Carrie Gracie. Nor do I want to pay for defending these illegal practices – and losing. Let’s let the HR department of the BBC pay those from their salaries. | As a licence payer, I do not expect the BBC to discriminate against talented women like Carrie Gracie. Nor do I want to pay for defending these illegal practices – and losing. Let’s let the HR department of the BBC pay those from their salaries. |
| I have worked for a publicly owned organisation too – it had the worst discrimination I have known. Heads should roll for the blatant disregard of employment law at the BBC. | I have worked for a publicly owned organisation too – it had the worst discrimination I have known. Heads should roll for the blatant disregard of employment law at the BBC. |
| Newly qualified as a lawyer in the 1970s, I always got paid less than the men, asked to make the tea and was assumed in meetings to be a secretary. I was appointed along with a man doing a parallel equal job. He got a car, media training and much bigger salary than me. I fought to get the car and finally appealed to the chairman who agreed with me about the discrimination but we never had equal terms of employment or pay. They purported to have a “pay scale” but of course I never started at the same point as the men. Easy to discriminate. No transparency. I was never accorded the same status as the men doing the same job. Nowadays, so many lawyers are women it has changed I believe. | Newly qualified as a lawyer in the 1970s, I always got paid less than the men, asked to make the tea and was assumed in meetings to be a secretary. I was appointed along with a man doing a parallel equal job. He got a car, media training and much bigger salary than me. I fought to get the car and finally appealed to the chairman who agreed with me about the discrimination but we never had equal terms of employment or pay. They purported to have a “pay scale” but of course I never started at the same point as the men. Easy to discriminate. No transparency. I was never accorded the same status as the men doing the same job. Nowadays, so many lawyers are women it has changed I believe. |
| Carrie Gracie only found out the iniquity of her situation when she learned of the other international editors’ pay. Protection from harassment when making a complaint would be a start. | Carrie Gracie only found out the iniquity of her situation when she learned of the other international editors’ pay. Protection from harassment when making a complaint would be a start. |
| She’s fantastic. Very brave and deserves all of our support. Not many people would do what she has done.Katherine, 65, retired lawyer | She’s fantastic. Very brave and deserves all of our support. Not many people would do what she has done.Katherine, 65, retired lawyer |
| ‘We need more bright and brilliant women coming together and speaking out’ | ‘We need more bright and brilliant women coming together and speaking out’ |
| I’m a former BBC employee who has also worked at the BBC around the time of the infamous stars salary scandal back in summer 2017. The BBC has been running from this growing scandal for years, doing very little while pretending it’s doing a lot. | I’m a former BBC employee who has also worked at the BBC around the time of the infamous stars salary scandal back in summer 2017. The BBC has been running from this growing scandal for years, doing very little while pretending it’s doing a lot. |
| I think it’s a colossal shame and a shambles that the BBC have not only lost a brilliant editor with decades of experience, they’ve also done so through their own utter incompetence in realising that it is precisely the BBC that we look on to lead the standard; the standard in this instance is by offering equal pay for equal work. | I think it’s a colossal shame and a shambles that the BBC have not only lost a brilliant editor with decades of experience, they’ve also done so through their own utter incompetence in realising that it is precisely the BBC that we look on to lead the standard; the standard in this instance is by offering equal pay for equal work. |
| Had Carrie been offered the same rate of pay as Jon Sopel, the BBC’s brilliant North American editor - currently between £200,000-249,999 - when she first asked for a pay rise, I’m sure she would have accepted the offer and this would never have come to light. The BBC is part of a marketplace and presenters and producers alike should be rewarded appropriately, or otherwise risk being poached by rivals. But she wasn’t given the opportunity. Only a 30% pay rise. | Had Carrie been offered the same rate of pay as Jon Sopel, the BBC’s brilliant North American editor - currently between £200,000-249,999 - when she first asked for a pay rise, I’m sure she would have accepted the offer and this would never have come to light. The BBC is part of a marketplace and presenters and producers alike should be rewarded appropriately, or otherwise risk being poached by rivals. But she wasn’t given the opportunity. Only a 30% pay rise. |
| While my own experiences of unequal pay are somewhat limited owing to how many rings I am up the media ladder, it is not difficult to believe that pay inequality is still a huge issue at the BBC. Take the #bbcwomen for example. More than 100 top flight producers, presenters and editors have felt the need to come together to combat pay inequality because the institution they work for isn’t picking up the slack. This is telling and a clear sign that there is far more to be done in balancing the scales. | While my own experiences of unequal pay are somewhat limited owing to how many rings I am up the media ladder, it is not difficult to believe that pay inequality is still a huge issue at the BBC. Take the #bbcwomen for example. More than 100 top flight producers, presenters and editors have felt the need to come together to combat pay inequality because the institution they work for isn’t picking up the slack. This is telling and a clear sign that there is far more to be done in balancing the scales. |
| We need more women in senior roles. More pay transparency. Pay parity for the same jobs across both genders. We need more bright and brilliant women coming together and speaking out when faced with pay inequality and gender discrimination , not just across broadcast and media but film and television too.Ben, 27, Southampton, production | We need more women in senior roles. More pay transparency. Pay parity for the same jobs across both genders. We need more bright and brilliant women coming together and speaking out when faced with pay inequality and gender discrimination , not just across broadcast and media but film and television too.Ben, 27, Southampton, production |
| ‘It is galling that women still have to struggle so hard to be paid the same’ | ‘It is galling that women still have to struggle so hard to be paid the same’ |
| It resonates deeply with me having personally gone through something similar at work. It is galling that women still have to struggle so hard to be paid the same to do equal work. She is brave to do what she did and for making it public to highlight this issue. Most women aren’t able to do the same. | It resonates deeply with me having personally gone through something similar at work. It is galling that women still have to struggle so hard to be paid the same to do equal work. She is brave to do what she did and for making it public to highlight this issue. Most women aren’t able to do the same. |
| I found out a male colleague with less experience and who, most importantly, brought in less revenue than me, was paid more than I was. When I brought this up to my boss, he challenged me instead as pay is a very confidential matter in a bank. I believe they do this about pay and bonus so that we don’t compare our pay. I found out by accident when he left his insurance information on his desk in the open. Eventually my manager said he was paid more because he negotiated better than me, making me look the fool. | I found out a male colleague with less experience and who, most importantly, brought in less revenue than me, was paid more than I was. When I brought this up to my boss, he challenged me instead as pay is a very confidential matter in a bank. I believe they do this about pay and bonus so that we don’t compare our pay. I found out by accident when he left his insurance information on his desk in the open. Eventually my manager said he was paid more because he negotiated better than me, making me look the fool. |
| I couldn’t leave my job at that time but I left last summer after he wanted me to take on more managerial work but not promote me or increase my pay. Banking is still a very sexist industry. We need transparent pay scale as what the BBC was forced to do. Make management compensation be tied to how they manage gender equality in the work place. Change the inherent sexist culture of banking.Anonymous, 40, former global markets salesperson | I couldn’t leave my job at that time but I left last summer after he wanted me to take on more managerial work but not promote me or increase my pay. Banking is still a very sexist industry. We need transparent pay scale as what the BBC was forced to do. Make management compensation be tied to how they manage gender equality in the work place. Change the inherent sexist culture of banking.Anonymous, 40, former global markets salesperson |