The BBC agreed a last-minute settlement with four female news presenters to avoid an employment tribunal airing damaging claims over age and sex discrimination at the corporation, insiders have said.
Senior BBC News presenters Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh settled a three-year dispute over accusations that they had been the victims of a “rigged” recruitment process on Friday.
The quartet alleged that they were snubbed over chief presenter roles following the merger of the BBC’s News and World News channels.
They remained off air for about a year on full pay until March last year when they returned to work in more junior roles.
Submissions to the tribunal claim that the dispute cost the BBC £1.3m in salaries, freelance cover and “acting up” payments to other presenters, The i Paper understands.
BBC Newsreaders Kasia Madera, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Martine Croxall have settled their employment dispute with the BBC (Photo: Martine Croxall/X)But the late agreement means the case, listed to run for three weeks and due to start on Monday, will no longer go ahead.
The BBC said it had “not accepted any liability” over the claims made by the women in settling case. However, it is understood that the agreement includes an undisclosed payment to the presenters.
“They needed to get this resolved before Monday,” an insider said. “There were witness statements ready and senior news managers would have had to account for their actions.
“There would have been claim and counter-claim between the BBC and the women in public. Then viewers would see the newsreaders back on screens. It would have been very damaging so the settlement is better for all.”
At a preliminary hearing, the presenters argued that evidence from a whistleblower would show the BBC ran “a sham” recruitment process.
The tribunal was due to hear claims that BBC News bosses had “privately assured four other chief news presenters – two men and two younger women – their jobs were safe”.
It was claimed that Jess Brammar, then the BBC’s editor of news channels, had admitted she could not say more “for legal reasons”.
Ultimately five successful candidates were appointed to senior presenting posts after the merger, including Matthew Amroliwala, Christian Fraser, Yalda Hakim, Lucy Hockings and Maryam Moshiri. Hakim has since moved to Sky News.
The BBC has denied the women’s claims. It said that all candidates involved in the process for the chief presenter roles underwent the same fair application process, involving an interview and practical assessments.
The women claimed to have been victimised and suffered harassment, ill-health and reputational damage.
The quartet enjoyed the backing of many in the newsroom. “They were treated like returning heroes when they came back to work,” a staffer said. “They have years of experience and it was clear on screen that they had been missed.”
As well as settling the age and gender discrimination claim, the four news presenters have dropped an appeal against an employment tribunal ruling that they could not also sue the BBC on grounds of pay discrimination.
The women, who all remain at the corporation, said in a statement: “We can confirm that we have reached a resolution with BBC management that avoids the need for a tribunal hearing in respect of our employment-related claims.
“A protracted process lasting almost three years is now over. We’ve been deeply moved by the support we’ve received. We look forward to contributing further to the success of BBC News.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “After careful consideration we have a reached a resolution which brings to an end protracted legal proceedings with four members of staff and avoids further costs for the BBC.
“In doing so we have not accepted any liability or any of the arguments made against the BBC. We are simply bringing to a close all of the actions brought against us so that all involved can move forward.”
The newsreaders and the BBC declined to comment on the details of the settlement, which remain confidential.
Croxall, 56, who has worked for the BBC since October 1991, had been a chief presenter with the BBC News Channel and BBC World News since 2001. She announced the death of Prince Philip in April 2021.
Since March 2012, Madera, 49, has been a chief presenter with the BBC News Channel and BBC World News and also appeared on BBC One network news bulletins.
McVeigh, 47 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, 51, 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.
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