Tribunal time

More discomfort for the BBC over alleged pay differentials: Saleem Patka, who's been an overnight editor on Today, the Editor of the Near East Hub for World Service, and Editor of World Briefing on the World Service (replaced in 2013 by 'The Newsroom') is taking his employers to an employment tribunal arguing pay discrimination on racial grounds. His case is based on stats which he says show World Service staff, of whom the majority are non-white, are systematically paid less than in other parts of News. The BBC contests the claim.

In an organisation where processes take their time, Mr Patka first pursued an internal grievance over two years ago. It was initially turned down, but in October 2016 Graham Ellis, the BBC’s deputy director of radio and music, partly upheld his complaint. Mr Ellis ruled the difference in pay was “neither directly nor indirectly discriminatory”, but considered his pay should be set “at around £100,000”. Grievances haven't been going too well in News; China Editor Carrie Gracie was famously furious with the outcome of her complaint, and re-appointed herself as a news presenter.