EXCLUSIVE: BBC News channel presenter Martine Croxall has commenced legal action against the British broadcaster after being off air for over a year.
The seasoned news anchor is taking the BBC to an employment tribunal, according to a listing for a two-day hearing at London Central on May 1.
It is likely to be one of the highest-profile tribunals faced by the BBC since the corporation lost a landmark gender pay battle with Newswatch host Samira Ahmed in 2020.
The particulars of Croxall’s claim are not in the public domain, but it could represent a significant ratcheting up of a dispute over the protracted BBC News channel restructure.
Croxall was one of five senior female journalists who failed to land a Chief Presenter role when the BBC merged its international and domestic news channels last year.
Croxall, Karin Giannone, Geeta Guru-Murthy, Kasia Madera, and Annita McVeigh challenged the BBC’s recruitment process as part of an internal complaints procedure. They alleged that the BBC rigged the hiring process by predetermining its preferred list of Chief Presenters before applications opened.
A senior BBC HR executive was not persuaded by their argument, despite a successful candidate saying they had a “tap on the shoulder” from managers. Deadline understands that this “whistleblower” evidence was not referenced in the internal review, with sources describing it as a “sham.”
Croxall has not appeared on the BBC News channel since March 2023 and sources said she has been in talks with the corporation over her future. Some of the five presenters were offered a correspondent/presenter role, though this is considered a demotion for the experienced anchors.
McVeigh and Guru-Murthy have since landed a Chief Presenter post after vacancies opened up. They returned to the air in recent weeks. Along with Croxall, Giannone and Madera have not appeared on the news channel in over a year.
There are estimates that the BBC has spent at least £1M ($1.3M) on the women’s salaries, freelance cover, and acting-up pay while they have been off air.
BBC Director General Tim Davie was asked about the issue during a Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing last month. He said the corporation was working towards a “fair resolution” for the women.
“It is not a good situation where you are paying people [who are not on air] and we are trying to get it resolved as fast as possible. I recognize that it has been going on for some time,” Davie said.
The BBC News channel’s Chief Presenter team includes Matthew Amroliwala, Ben Brown, Christian Fraser, Lucy Hockings, Maryam Moshiri, and Sally Bundock in the UK, with Sumi Somaskanda and Caitríona Perry in Washington D.C. and Steve Lai in Singapore.
The BBC declined to comment.
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