Four senior female BBC journalists have filed an appeal after an employment tribunal ruled they could not take legal action against the corporation on grounds of equal pay.
Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh launched an employment tribunal against the BBC, which included the claim they had not been paid equally compared with their male counterparts.
In May, employment tribunal judge Sarah Goodman concluded that the women, who had previously reached settlements with the BBC in 2020, could not bring new equal pay claims.
Lawyers for the BBC described the situation at the time as being like “seeking a second bite of the cherry on the same set of facts”.
The journalists are arguing that the previous settlements addressed only historical pay disparities and should not prevent them from challenging alleged discriminatory pay practices since 2020.
They previously also claimed they had been kept off air for a year after they were snubbed for chief presenter roles following the merger of the BBC’s News and World News channels.
All of the journalists are still expected to give evidence on separate claims at their full employment tribunal against the BBC, which was set for March 2025.
Croxall, McVeigh and Madera allege discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, being a union member and wages, while Giannone alleges discrimination based on age, sex and wages.
They were also given the go-ahead to have their cases heard jointly.
Madera returned to BBC News later in May, with Croxall following suit a few weeks after.
The NUJ is deeply concerned by the tribunal ruling blocking our members pursuing their claims
The claimants are supported by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and represented by Thompsons Solicitors and Claire Darwin KC of Matrix Chambers.
Neil Todd, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, who are representing the four journalists, said: “The appeal raises important questions about how out-of-court settlements can cover future unlawful actions.
“In our view, the agreements that sought to do this in this instance are unenforceable as a matter of law.”
The NUJ’s general secretary, Michelle Stanistreet, said: “The NUJ is deeply concerned by the tribunal ruling blocking our members pursuing their claims.
“We do not accept the premise that continued instances of pay discrimination can be given a free pass in this way, and look forward to making this case in the employment appeal tribunal.”
Croxall, who has worked for the BBC since October 1991, has been a chief presenter with the BBC News Channel and BBC World News since 2001. She has also appeared on BBC One network news bulletins.
Since March 2012, Madera has been a chief presenter with the BBC News Channel and BBC World News and also appeared on BBC1 network news bulletins.
McVeigh, who has worked for the BBC since October 1995, has been a chief presenter with the BBC News Channel and BBC World News, since 2006. She has also appeared on BBC network news.
Giannone started working for the BBC in January 2005. She became a permanent staff member in April 2008 and has been a chief presenter on BBC World News and the BBC News Channel.
The BBC has been contacted for comment.
