The BBC’s annual report shows that senior leaders who identify as a minority are paid more (Image: Getty)
Senior managers from the are paid more if they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender () than those who are not, a new report has shown. Figures released in the corporation’s annual report show that LGBT, ethnic minority, disabled and female senior leaders earn more than those who are not from those backgrounds.
Reacting to the figures, , Deputy Leader of , told The Telegraph: “Top tip if you want to earn more at the : don’t be a straight, white male. “Do something to change this. Be woke. People should be appointed and paid based on merit, not on their ethnicity or sexual preference.”
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Richard Tice responded “if you want to earn more at the BBC: don’t be a straight, white male.” (Image: Getty)
The has committed to equal pay, but the figures have led some to question how equal the taxpayer-funded pay scales are in light of the details emerging. According to the 23/24 annual report, those who identify as earn 15.6% more than their straight colleagues. Similarly, senior members of staff from black, Asian, and other ethnic backgrounds (Bame) earn, on average, 12.6 more than their white counterparts.
Those with a recognised disability earn around 8% more than colleagues without one, whilst women earn 5% more than men.
The revelations have led some to dismiss the commitment to equal pay and to accuse the corporation of not paying staff on “merit”.
Elliot Keck of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Licence fee payers will be dismayed by these reverse pay gaps.
“Auntie’s obsession with diversity, equality and inclusion has resulted in the very discrimination that it was supposed to protect against. The needs to foster a culture of meritocracy, not one of virtue-signalling.”
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The figures represent an increase in the so-called “reverse pay gap” (Image: Getty)
She said it represents an expanding “reverse pay gap” that has increased gradually over recent years.
The report attributes the increase in pay gap to “representation at different organisation levels” and “a combination of workforce movement, pay interventions and apprentice hiring.”
It added: “To ensure we portray the many diverse communities across the UK, our workforce needs to reflect our audiences and we remain committed to improving representation across the organisation.”
Stuart Andrew, the Conservative shadow culture secretary, said: “As the UK’s public broadcaster, the exists to educate, inform and entertain – not to engage in social engineering through seemingly discriminatory pay policies.
“The should focus on delivering content for licence fee payers and upholding standards, rather than divisive DEI initiatives.”
A spokesman for the said: “The is committed to fair and equal pay for all, and all appointments are made on merit.
“An external equal pay audit recently concluded that there was no evidence of systemic bias in our pay approach or policies.
“We continue to monitor our pay gaps closely and do expect to see small fluctuations year-on-year, and we’d advise against the selective use of figures.”