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+

Dispute resolutionLatest NewsEqual payGender pay gapPay & benefits

BBC settles equal pay dispute with Carrie Gracie

by Ashleigh Webber 29 Jun 2018
by Ashleigh Webber 29 Jun 2018 Carrie Gracie (centre), flanked by journalists Martine Croxall (left) and Razia Iqbal outside New Broadcasting House
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/PA Images
Carrie Gracie (centre), flanked by journalists Martine Croxall (left) and Razia Iqbal outside New Broadcasting House
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/PA Images

Carrie Gracie, the BBC’s former China editor, has received a payout from the broadcaster after it emerged she had been paid less than her male colleagues.

The BBC has apologised to Gracie, acknowledging that she had been underpaid. She stepped down from the role in January.

Equal pay

How to carry out an equal pay audit

Compensation – discrimination and equal pay

In a joint statement between Gracie and Tony Hall, the BBC’s director-general, the parties said the BBC acknowledged she was told she would be paid in line with the North America editor when she accepted the China editor role.

It said the BBC was “committed to the principle of equal pay” and noted that Gracie “delivered reports, analysis and work, that were as valuable as those of the other international editors”.

Gracie said: “I am glad to have been able to resolve this with the director-general – it shows that we can make progress.

“I’m also pleased that my work as China editor has now been properly recognised by the BBC and relieved that this difficult period is over. For me, this was always about the principle, rather than the money.”

The backpay she has received will be donated to gender equality campaign the Fawcett Society. No more details about the compensation received have been published.

Hall said: “I am pleased that we’ve been able to move past our differences and work through things together; we can now look to the future.

“I’m also glad that Carrie will be contributing to Donalda MacKinnon’s project to make the BBC a great place for women to work. That really matters to me and I want us to lead the way.”

A project led by BBC Scotland director Donalda MacKinnon aims to break down the barriers women face in progressing in their careers at the BBC. It is part of the broadcaster’s drive to have women in half of senior management and on-air roles by 2020.

In March, hundreds of BBC employees demanded full pay transparency, following a review of on-air pay by PwC and the publication of an open letter by Gracie, in which she accused the BBC of having a “secretive and illegal” pay culture.

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.

It published a median gender pay gap of 9.3% ahead of the deadline in April – slightly below the median pay gap of 9.8% reported by organisations in 2017-18.

Gracie is to now take up to six months’ unpaid leave to “write and speak on both China and gender equality”.

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Cabin crew at higher risk of cancer diagnosis than general population
next post
Minister showed ‘contempt’ in botched civil service pay consultation

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+