Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Age discriminationLatest NewsDiscriminationEqual paySex discrimination

Tribunal strikes equal pay from BBC presenter claims

by Jo Faragher 3 May 2024
by Jo Faragher 3 May 2024 Pic: William Barton / Shutterstock.com
Pic: William Barton / Shutterstock.com

An employment tribunal has ruled that four female BBC presenters who have taken legal action against the broadcaster cannot include equal pay as part of their claim.

Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh have accused the company of conducting a “sham recruitment exercise” after they lost their jobs when it merged its domestic and global news channels last year.

They claim that they were discriminated against because of their age, sex, and union membership during the recruitment for chief presenters after the merger.

The tribunal has just concluded a two-day preliminary hearing to establish the structure of a full tribunal, which will not be heard until next March.

Judge Sarah Goodman ruled that because the women had previously reached equal pay settlements with the BBC, they could not bring new equal pay claims.

BBC equal pay

BBC equal pay findings come under fire 

BBC equal pay: Can employers consider experience when setting salary? 

She also ruled that the women could take their other claims forward as a group, rather than individuals.

Croxall told the court that “The BBC grinds you down, it breaks you. You don’t feel like you can continue with it in the moment and that’s why I’m here.” She added that she would not have accepted a settlement from the organisation if she had thought she could not bring a future claim.

The BBC insists for its part that the application process was “rigorous and fair”.

In a joint statement the women said they welcomed the opportunity to bring a joint discrimination claim: “We remain committed to seeking equal pay despite the BBC’s lawyers relying on a novel argument to prevent our claims progressing. We await the judge’s written ruling, to which we will give further consideration.”

The case comes four years after a high-profile equal pay dispute between the BBC and presenter Samira Ahmed.

Ahmed received an undisclosed financial settlement with the corporation after she won an equal pay case. She had been seeking almost £700,000 in back pay after the court ruled that her work was equally comparable to that of male presenter Jeremy Vine, who was paid thousands more.

In 2021, the BBC revealed that it had paid more than £1 million to external barristers and solicitors to deal with a series of tribunal claims brought by staff in equal pay and race discrimination cases.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

HR business partner opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more HR business partner jobs

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Could ‘microfeminism’ help achieve real change?
next post
Bank of Ireland’s ‘life-friendly’ approach boosts engagement

You may also like

Eight new equality laws in the pipeline

10 Apr 2025

Barnet Council to face equal pay claim worth...

26 Mar 2025

Have group litigation claims advanced pay equality?

26 Mar 2025

Equality at work: ‘Men are out of touch’

28 Feb 2025

Asda workers advance to final stage in equal...

3 Feb 2025

Morrisons workers move forward in equal pay claim

17 Jan 2025

Birmingham City Council to settle 6,000 equal pay...

10 Dec 2024

Four BBC presenters launch equal pay appeal

29 Nov 2024

Disney agrees $43.3m gender pay settlement

27 Nov 2024

Employment Rights Bill: government outlines next steps for...

10 Oct 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+