Donna Traynor latest news: Former BBC Northern Ireland presenter settles sex and age discrimination case with ex-employer

The industrial tribunal was resolved without any admission of liability on either side in Belfast on Friday.

Speaking at the conclusion of proceedings, BBC Northern Ireland director Adam Smyth said he wished Ms Traynor well in the future but would not comment on any financial settlement.

Ms Traynor, a former BBC Newsline presenter, had alleged she was discriminated against on the basis of age, sex and disability.

The BBC and Mr Smyth were respondents in the case.

When the case opened on Wednesday, Ms Traynor’s counsel, Patrick Lyttle KC, said she had faced bullying and harassment following her opposition to a BBC plan to move her to a radio position several days a week in 2019.

But on Friday, the hearing, which had been expected to last for several days, was halted when a settlement between the parties was announced.

Mr Lyttle read out a short agreed statement between the two sides.

It stated: “The dispute between Donna Traynor and the BBC and Adam Smyth has ended, without any admission of liability on the part of either respondent.

“Donna Traynor acknowledges the BBC and Adam Smyth continue to refute strongly all the allegations made against them, including the claims made on the opening day of the tribunal.

“The parties are pleased that this matter has been brought to a conclusion and intend to put it behind them.”

The statement made no reference to costs or any financial settlement.

Ms Traynor left the tribunal without making any further comment about the settlement.

When asked by the PA news agency whether she was relieved that the case was over, Ms Traynor said: “It’s a gorgeous day, isn’t it?”

But she tweeted: “My employment tribunal case is now settled and over.

“Many thanks to everyone who has sent me supportive messages in recent times. Wishing you well. Donna.”

Speaking to the media as he left the hearing, Mr Smyth said: “You have heard the joint statement, we are very glad to have reached a resolution. We wish Donna all the best for the future.”

Asked whether there had been a financial settlement in the case, Mr Smyth said: “You have heard the joint statement, I refer you to that.

“We don’t have any comment to make about the settlement beyond what has been said in the tribunal.”

Asked about the use of public money in the case, Mr Smyth said: “The only comment I have to make about licence fee-payers’ money is that we treat it very carefully and very sensitively and we think about every penny that we spend.

“You will have heard that we strongly refuted all of the accusations against us, that is our position.

“The settlement we have reached today is acceptable.”

Ms Traynor resigned in November 2021 after nearly 33 years at the broadcaster.

She had raised a formal grievance after refusing to accept a plan that would have involved her moving to presenting the Evening Extra radio show several nights a week.

When the tribunal opened on Wednesday, her legal team had argued she was a victim of “age discrimination, sex discrimination and disability discrimination”.

Her barrister had said that she was presented on her 55th birthday with the plan which would have involved her moving to radio on some evenings.

He had alleged sex discrimination because, he said, Ms Traynor was to be moved to radio to “settle a gender imbalance” issue at Radio Ulster.

Mr Lyttle had also said Ms Traynor had repeatedly raised concerns about working on radio because she is deaf in her left ear.

Ms Traynor joined the BBC in 1989 and presented radio news bulletins before moving into TV.

She has been nominated twice for the Royal Television Society award for presenter of the year.

Previously she had told an industrial tribunal she faced “bullying and harassment” after she raised a grievance about a plan to change her role at the corporation.

Ms Traynor’s barrister told the tribunal in Belfast she had been a victim of age, sex and disability discrimination after the proposal to move her to a radio position several days a week in 2019.

In his opening statement, barrister Patrick Lyttle KC told the hearing that Traynor had been contracted to present the Newsline TV show five nights a week and had had a number of successful appraisals.

Mr Lyttle said that in December 2018 she was appraised by then head of news Mr Smyth and was told “her role as a BBC Newsline presenter would not be diminished”.

But the barrister added that his client later became a victim of “age discrimination, sex discrimination and disability discrimination”.

He added: “Over the course of a year we say the complainant was treated in a manner that amounted to bullying and harassment.”

The hearing was told that in June 2109 Ms Traynor was informed of a voluntary redundancy process for presenters at BBC Northern Ireland who were on TV and radio for 30 minutes or more on weekdays.

The process led to veteran presenters Noel Thompson, Wendy Austin, Seamus McKee and Karen Patterson leaving the corporation. Ms Traynor did not apply for redundancy.

But Mr Lyttle said that within weeks BBC Northern Ireland was advertising for two full-time presenters.

He said: “This raises the suspicion that this was a ruse to ease out the older presenters – this was age discrimination.”

Mr Lyttle told the hearing that later in 2019 a meeting was held between Ms Traynor, Mr Smyth and a representative from the HR department at BBC Northern Ireland.

He said Ms Traynor was told of a proposal to move her from the Newsline TV programme to presenting the Evening Extra radio programme several nights a week on a rota basis with Tara Mills, alongside a male presenter.

Mr Lyttle said this was a “clear case of sex discrimination” because the BBC wanted a female presenter on Evening Extra to attract more women listeners.

He said: “In this day and age it is incredible how this sort of approach could be conducted.”

The barrister said the plan was presented to Ms Traynor on her 55th birthday.

He referred to the notes of follow-up meetings where Ms Traynor expressed her unhappiness with the plan and refused to accept it.

She later raised an official grievance.

Mr Lyttle referred to a meeting where Ms Traynor said she was being used to “settle a gender imbalance” issue at Radio Ulster.

She said: “If I was Donald Traynor he would not be moving me to Evening Extra.”

Mr Lyttle said an internal grievance process carried out by the BBC in 2020 was a “complete whitewash”, adding: “It was not a genuine hearing of the grievance, it was protecting Mr Smyth.”

The barrister said Ms Traynor had repeatedly raised concerns about the fact she is deaf in her left ear and would not be able to work on radio.

He said his client had explained “time and time again” that she needed to be able to see who was speaking to her and was also concerned about wearing headphones.

Referring to Mr Smyth, the barrister said: “His aim was to move Donna Traynor from TV, two to three days a week to radio, irrespective of her disability.”

Mr Lyttle said that for several months in 2021, Ms Traynor was brought to meetings where she was asked if she could do a radio trial.

He said there was a “clear refusal to make reasonable adjustments” for her disability, adding: “They pursued her relentlessly for months, they threatened her, they harassed her and they bullied her.”

The barrister added that between June and August 2021 Ms Traynor was removed from all broadcast duties.

He said the BBC used concerns about her hearing issues to claim she was a “risk editorially”.