Four female anchorwomen from the BBC have reached a settlement with the British public broadcaster, through an out-of-court agreement, after experiencing gender and age discrimination. Martine Croxall, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone, and Kasia Madera had filed a lawsuit in the employment tribunal after being excluded from prominent presenter roles on the BBC News channel.
The trial was set to begin next week, but the public broadcaster, through their legal team, chose to avoid it to prevent any potential damage to their image, opting for a financial settlement, the amount of which remains undisclosed.
The dispute began in July 2022 when the BBC announced plans to merge its national and international news channels, starting a selection process for five lead presenters. The experienced journalists were excluded from these roles, which they claimed were given to younger colleagues, both male and female.
The anchorwomen were then offered a correspondent role by the broadcaster’s management, which came with a salary reduction. Additionally, the journalists had accused the BBC of paying them less than their male counterparts since February 2020, also criticizing the broadcaster for the gender pay gap.
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