Female manager at BBC rejects promotion because she was being paid less than her male counterpart - The Sauce Female manager at BBC rejects promotion because she was being paid less than her male counterpart - The Sauce
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Featured

Female manager at BBC rejects promotion because she was being paid less than her male counterpart

A female manager at one of the World’s largest media house, BBC turned down a job promotion after finding out that there was a gender pay gap.

The BBC manager Karen Martin who was to be hired as one of the two deputy editors for the BBC radio newsroom told colleagues she turned down a promotion after finding out she would be paid £12,000 less than a man in the same role.

She said colleague Roger Sawyer would be earning more than her. The BBC stood by its offers and said several factors, including working experience, had to be considered, BBC reported.

In her email to colleagues, Martin wrote: “Despite being awarded the same job, on the same day, after the same board, during the same recruitment process, BBC News asked me to accept a considerably lower salary than my male counterpart.

“I’ve been assured our roles and responsibilities are the same. I’ve also been told my appointment was ‘very well deserved’. It’s just that I’m worth £12,000 less.”

She added, after requesting the BBC to reconsider its offer, a new salary was offered on the grounds of historical underpayments, bringing the gap closer to £7,000. But, she said, the issue for her had “never been about the actual salary… but about equal pay”.

In response, the BBC’s head of news output Gavin Allen told staff: “We took into account the fact that Roger has worked at or above this level for several years, whereas Karen was offered this role as a promotion, with a significant pay increase.

“We think most people would understand that these factors would result in some difference between their individual pay.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The issue of equal pay at the BBC was brought into the public domain in 2017, the first year the corporation was forced by MPs to disclose how much it paid to its top talent.

The publication of salaries eventually led to the resignation of Carrie Gracie as China editor, who was being paid less than North America editor Jon Sopel. The BBC apologised and said it “has now put this right” by giving Gracie back pay.

Early this year it was reported that American media mogul Oprah Winfrey opened up about her experience with unequal pay. She revealed that higher-ups at a Baltimore news organization where she worked rejected her request to be paid the same amount as her male counterpart because she did not have kids or a mortgage.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Some More Sauce...

News

Seasoned media personality Willis Raburu is one happy (and Ksh 6.5 million richer) man, after the court ordered local telco Airtel Kenya to pay...

Da Squeeze

‘Real Housewives of Nairobi’ star Minne Kariuki is not one to take any prisoners or bite her tongue. In case anyone needed a reminder,...

Entertainment

Comedian and content creator Eunice Mammito is on the receiving end of backlash following a video published on her social platforms poking fun at...

Entertainment

Hours after her parody video poking fun at Jowie Irungu’s death sentence made the rounds on the internet and threw her on the receiving...

Entertainment

Popular Kenyan Tiktoker Brian Chira Wambui has died following a hit-and-run car accident. According to reports, the controversial influencer is said to have been...

Entertainment

Dennis Njenga, the esteemed Head of Talent at Kaka Empire, has been nominated for the prestigious Top 40 Under 40 Africa Awards. This esteemed...

Da Squeeze

Femi One has set the music scene ablaze once again with the release of her electrifying new single, “B.A.” “B.A” which translates into “we...

Entertainment

Renowned NTV Journalist Rita Tinina was found dead in her house in Kileleshwa on Sunday, March 17, reports indicate. While scanty details are available...