Furious BBC staff paid more than £150k plan to take pay cut in a sneaky bid to avoid salary disclosure to ‘appalled’ public
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced that all BBC employees paid more than £150k a year must be named
ANGRY BBC staff are threatening to take a pay cut rather than reveal their salaries.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley caused uproar this week by ruling anyone on more than £150,000 a year must be named - now sources say some just over the limit could volunteer for a cut to £149,999, blocking the public’s right to know.
One insider said: “It’s not just household names like Graham Norton, Chris Evans and Gary Lineker who earn vast sums.
“Licence-payers would be appalled if they knew just how many employees that they have never heard of are raking in more than £150,000 a year.
“Because these people might only earn £10,000 a year over a limit, they could well request to have their salaries lowered enough to avoid being named.
“Many of the BBC editors, managers and journalists have the option of making extra money by chairing meetings and making public appearances.
“If they chose to take up that option, they would be scarcely worse off.”
Another source said: “Because the BBC will not have to disclose salary information for several months there’s time for some deals to be done.
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“And because they’ve never had to publish these salaries before, there’s a good chance no one will ever know the full truth.”
The decision to allow employees to reduce their salaries in a bid to avoid full disclosure would horrify those who have campaigned for transparency.
And it would make a mockery of BBC chief Charlotte Moore’s claim that to reveal staff salaries would drive wages up.
Speaking last month, Charlotte said: “The outcome of it may well be that talent fees will go up. I think if everyone knows what everyone is paid they will say I want to be paid that as well.”
A source added: “This was always a rather thin argument, and if people do start to cut their salaries, the complete opposite effect will be proved.”
Graham Norton, who is believed to top the BBC’s list of high earning talent, admitted this week he considers the topic of wages just “gossip.”
And he claimed the BBC is not “throwing money at people.”
Speaking in an interview, the host said: “Is it a classic bugbear? Yes, and it always will be. I mean, if it was left to me, I’d be paid a lot less.
“But that’s why I have an agent.
“I’m being paid a lot less now than 15 years ago on Channel 4, in real terms. I’m just happier with the BBC.
“I’m still very well paid — I’m not complaining.”