Carrie Gracie resignation

Oh dear. So the BBC are quite happy to pull Winifred Robinson off the air after supporting Carrie Gracie, but allow Carrie Gracie to go back on the News channel after what's happened over the last few days when she is still the subject of the news? It's like the left arm doesn't know what the right arm's doing - or am I missing something?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/bbc-presenter-winifred-robinson-taken-11824751

But they did offer her a pay rise. She stated in an interview the other day that she was offered it but turned it down.

I think the problem Carrie had with the rise is that it would have resolved the issue for her (assuming it was equal pay) but did nothing to resolve the issue for less senior women who don't have the profile Carrie has. It did nothing to improve transparency.

But it's not really a gender pay gap is it? It's a job pay gap. Laura Kuensberg is the highest paid UK-based editor, she's a woman and is earning more than her counterparts in say, Home Affairs and Sport, both roles currently held by men.

Carrie Gracie made a point in her letter that it seems only women are losing out and some people are overpaid, then a few days later seems happy to take a job on the news channel with a higher salary than what she was earning in her China Editor post (which is, some would say, a less senior role and a step down in the news department) and grossly overpaid in itself.

I think the problem Carrie had with the rise is that it would have resolved the issue for her (assuming it was equal pay) but did nothing to resolve the issue for less senior women who don't have the profile Carrie has. It did nothing to improve transparency.

Joint statement between Carrie and Tony Hall, Director-General of the BBC

The BBC and Carrie Gracie have reached an agreement to resolve their differences.

The BBC acknowledges that Carrie was told she would be paid in line with the North America Editor when she took the role of China Editor, and she accepted the role on that understanding. The BBC is committed to the principle of equal pay and acting in accordance with our values. The BBC acknowledges the specific circumstances relating to Carrie’s appointment, apologises for underpaying Carrie, and has now put this right. Carrie is donating the full amount received to a charity of her choice.

Carrie has made, and will continue to make, an important contribution to the BBC. During her tenure as China Editor, Carrie delivered reports, analysis and work, that were as valuable as those of the other International Editors in the same period.

Carrie 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. I’m delighted to donate all the backdated pay from the BBC to help women striving for equality at work.”

Tony 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.”

At her request, Carrie will now take up to six months of unpaid leave to write and speak, on both China and gender equality. Neither she nor the BBC wish to comment on this further.

Wish I could publicly bring the company I work for into disrepute and come out of it better off.

Looking forward for the salary of Jeremy Bowen, the Middle East editor, to be brought in line with Jon Sopel’s.

Oh wait.