NUJ welcomes condemnation of BBC over severance payments reaching £25m in three years
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has welcomed a report from that National Audit Office (NAO) which criticised the BBC over a severance scheme which paid out £25m to 150 senior members of staff over the last three years.
Criticism: Director general Tony Hall said the BBC had lost its way
BBC director general Tony Hall announced in April that the corporation would introduce a cap of £150,000 on redundancy payments following condemnation of some high profile departures, including a £450,000 settlement for former director general George Entwistle after just 54 days in office.
NUJ broadcast organiser Sue Harris said: "The NUJ has been questioning and challenging this practice for many years. The NUJ was pleased when the BBC and Tony Hall adopted the NUJ’s proposal that redundancy and severance payments should be capped at £150,000.
"It is good to know that the new director general intends to address the problem of excessive management pay-outs and differential treatment from ordinary members of staff."
The NAO reports found that the BBC paid out more than it was contractually obliged to in nearly a quarter of cases reviewed and said it had breached its own "generous policies" on severance payments.
Tony Hall said: "These payments were from another era and we are putting a stop to them. I believe the BBC lost its way on payment in recent years."
Former deputy director general Mark Byford received the biggest pay out at £949,000, while the broadcaster's former chief operating officer, Caroline Thomson, was given a package of £670,000.
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