The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled on Friday (21 March) that the sharing of pay information, which affected workers such as camera operators and sound technicians, breached competition law.
The broadcasters' producers reportedly shared pay information in an attempt to limit pay for freelancers.
The broadcaster Sky also admitted to sharing pay details but avoided a fine by alerting the CMA of its involvement before its investigation began.
Salary benchmarking can be difficult but it's important to get it right, said Denis Barnard, director of HR resources provider, GreenRiver Technology.
Speaking to HR magazine, he said: “No two organisations are alike in structure and culture. Structure your own benefits, don’t copy.
Read more: The UK leads on pay transparency, data suggests
“Who are you really benchmarking against? Are they successful? Their business model could be very different.
“Imagine you were benchmarking against Carillion or other company that implodes? How accurate or current is the data?”
Barnard also emphasised the importance of robust support and procedures for whistleblowers.
He said: “Every organisation should have a watertight procure for whistleblowers, ideally including review by a third, neutral party with legal knowledge.”
Read more: Salary structure ranked as number one reward priority, XpertHR survey reveals
Responding to previously published HR magazine news story, about whether senior HR professionals are paid enough, Chris Williams, director of people and culture at workforce mobility solutions business Mauve Group, said: “We recommend that all organisations conduct salary benchmarking before advertising roles, to ensure they offer competitive compensation from the outset.”
BT and IMG were each fined £1.7m. The BBC was ordered to pay £424,000, and ITV received a £340,000 fine. BT, IMG, BBC and ITV were contacted for comment.
A BT Group spokesperson said: “We take our competition law obligations seriously and co-operated with the CMA throughout this investigation. Having accepted the findings ... we have agreed to settle this case. We remain committed to making sure our obligations are embedded into all levels of our business and have taken a number of steps to strengthen our competition and compliance initiatives.”
An IMG spokesperson said: “As previously reported, IMG was one of the subjects of a CMA investigation that began in 2022 and has fully cooperated with the CMA’s enquiries. That investigation concluded ... and related to historical activity limited to the UK. This matter has now been resolved, and IMG has taken all necessary steps to address any prior compliance issues.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC takes its competition law obligations seriously and has co-operated with the CMA throughout its investigation ... The BBC was involved in three of the 15 infringements identified by the CMA and admitted liability for these as soon as possible. We highly value the freelancers we work with, both in Sport and across the BBC, and we will continue to work hard with the freelance community to invest in, and develop, talent.”
An ITV spokesperson said: “ITV is fully committed to complying with competition law and cooperated with the CMA throughout its investigation. In light of the CMA's investigation we have implemented further enhanced competition law compliance measures across the business."
