Issues Raised About Diversity Problems at ITV

Concerns have been raised about diversity and the treatment of female employees within ITV’s production operations in the U.K., as well as in the U.S.

In the U.S., ITV’s management received a letter from a group of diverse employees regarding how the company treats women and people of color.

Tiffany Magby, one of the letter signees who has since left the company, explained, “We wrote ITV management as a group of women of color to inform them about what we consider systematic discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and overtime violations that we experienced while working on two of the company’s most prominent programs.

“We called for both equal pay with our white male colleagues and opportunities for growth at ITV, specifically at the field producer level, which is currently almost exclusively held by men.”

Magby and staff of the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), as well as members of BECTU, the U.K.’s media and entertainment union, and the Writers Guild of Great Britain, will protest at ITV’s annual general meeting on May 10 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

The call is for ITV to enter a collective bargaining agreement with the WGAE. The Guild has proposed contract terms that would directly address the concerns raised by Magby and her former colleagues at the company.

Lowell Peterson, executive director of WGAE, said: “ITV’s new CEO Carolyn McCall and investors should be deeply troubled by its production operations in the U.S., which have been touted as one of the company’s key sources of profit and growth.

“In the U.S., ITV employees overwhelmingly voted to unionize because they believe the best way to get management to address their pressing concerns is through a collective bargaining agreement. Unfortunately, ITV has done nothing but stall and resist as employees’ concerns about working conditions and protections continue to mount.”

Gerry Morrissey, head of the BECTU Sector of Prospect, said: “We have appealed on several occasions to ITV to develop a constructive relationship with WGAE to echo the relationship the company has with BECTU here in the U.K. We believe the company’s resistance to engaging with the WGAE reflects badly on the company’s management.

“That’s why we’re proud to support representatives of the WGAE when they visit London on May 10 to lobby ITV shareholders. Whether here in the U.K. or in the U.S., we’re in the business of communication and we live in a democracy.

“If the company values its reputation, ITV management will sit down soon with the WGAE to discuss members’ concerns.”