BBC settles sex and age discrimination case with presenters

LONDON: The BBC on Friday said it had settled a case with four female journalists who claimed they lost their jobs because of their sex and age.

Martine Croxall, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera, who have all presented on the BBC´s television channels, claimed they lost their jobs following a “rigged” recruitment exercise.

The BBC said on Friday that “after careful consideration we have a reached a resolution which brings to an end protracted legal proceedings. “In doing so we have not accepted any liability or any of the arguments made against the BBC,” added the flagship British broadcaster.

The four women claimed that they were paid less than men in equivalent roles and that they unfairly lost their jobs at the BBC News channel. The BBC announced in 2022 that it planned to merge its domestic and international news channels.

The claimants said the BBC privately told four other presenters -- two men and two younger women -- that they would keep their jobs. “We were put through a pre-determined job application process in February 2023,” the presenters told a hearing last year.

They were instead offered jobs as correspondents, an effective demotion that came with a pay cut. The BBC said that at least five other applicants achieved better scores during the recruitment process. All four presenters also claimed they have not been paid the same as equivalent male counterparts since February 2020.