Stacey Macken, an employee of BNP Paribas SA who is responsible for developing the prime brokerage division, is taking a second legal action against her employer. She had already filed a complaint against the commercial bank in a high-profile case of pay discrimination.
According to Bloomberg, this time she criticises the bank’s London office for having deliberately chosen to cut bonuses granted to female executives in order to redistribute them among their male colleagues. The complaint is based on the testimonies of two anonymous whistleblowers.
According to his allegations, the executive, now global head of Primary Markets, had requested internally to reduce by 60% the bonuses awarded to women for 2019 in order to redistribute them to men. According to Bloomberg, internal documents were submitted to the court that corroborate this claim.
Following an internal investigation, BNP denies it
The BNP, for its part, denies this, saying that an internal investigation into these allegations failed to establish any wrongdoing. “No irregularities have been found and therefore no disciplinary proceedings have been initiated,” the bank said. The disputed emails have never been found. The lawyers have requested that these allegations be declared inadmissible.
Stacey Macken’s previous complaint of sexist treatment and harassment resulted in her receiving a record $2.6 million in compensation.
In France, according to an INSEE study from March 2023, with equal positions and working hours, a woman earns on average 4% less than a man, in particular due to more limited access to positions of responsibility and discrimination linked to sex or family situation. However, this gap has narrowed significantly in twenty-five years.
Source: BFM TV
