BBC tweet
The BBC tweeted about how to negotiate a pay rise days after Carrie Gracie's resignation. Twitter

The BBC has suggested people should negotiate a New Year pay rise, just four days after its China Editor Carrie Gracie resigned due to the corporation's "secretive and illegal pay culture".

The tweet, which was posted on Thursday morning (11 January) from the main BBC Twitter account, said: "Back at work and feeling undervalued? Not being paid what you're worth? Why not start the year by asking for a pay rise?

"Here are some tips on how to negotiate one." The tweet linked to a video from BBC Woman's Hour about how to negotiate a pay rise with tips from expert negotiator Natalie Reynolds, the CEO of advantageSPRING.

The tweet had been deleted by 9.50am after being up for around two hours, more than long enough for people to notice the irony.

Social media manager Jono Read described it as the BBC "trolling its own employees", while BuzzFeed's Scott Bryan said: "Of all of the weeks for the BBC to tweet this." Another user said: "This is all getting very meta."

Gracie resigned from her £145,000 post in protest at the inequality in pay between men and women at the BBC. She even turned down a £45,000 pay rise during a six-month battle for equal pay with her male equivalents.

She told Woman's Hour on Monday: "I do think salaries at the top are unacceptably high, both for presenters and stars of various kinds and also for managers. I didn't want more money, I wanted equality and this was not equality. There was still a big gap between myself and my male peers."

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