S4C staff were left in tears after bullying, claims former employee

Staff at Welsh language broadcaster S4C were left in tears after bullying at work, a former employee has claimed.

Former director of communications Gwyn Williams said he warned the board of inappropriate behaviour in April 2022.

It comes after S4C chief executive Sian Doyle was sacked following claims of a "toxic culture" at the organisation.

S4C declined to respond to Mr Williams' claims, but said: "We recognise that we need to restore confidence and trust in the organisation."

Ms Doyle has since described her dismissal as "an unprecedented lack of governance for a public body".

Mr Williams claimed there was an "atmosphere of bullying" and a toxic environment when he worked for the organisation.

"The board, the chair, have to consider their positions, have to consider their actions or lack of actions over the past 18 months," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"They were told by members of staff in December last year - and some of those staff were in tears - about the bullying nature going on within the organisation, and it took until May of this year to instigate the inquiry," added Mr Williams.

He also made reference to the number of people who have been involved in the subsequent investigation.

"Ninety-six staff and former staff and stakeholders had given evidence and that is a figure we mustn't forget during this discussion," Mr Williams said.

"We must not forget the courage of the staff who were willing to give evidence without knowing what their future would hold, but certainly the next step here now is to see the report published as soon as possible."

One former S4C employee said the day Ms Doyle was sacked was "the best day ever", while another claimed they were "unreasonably happy" at the news.

Following her sacking, Ms Doyle claimed she had faced "unfair treatment, and wider bullying" from S4C chairman Rhodri Williams.

Ms Doyle went on to say that "being a woman has been a significant factor" in the way she believed she had been treated.

The broadcaster said its chairman would not be responding to the allegations from Ms Doyle.

The bullying claims were first raised in letter written by the Bectu union, which described a "culture of fear" within S4C which saw staff undermined by senior executives and "often left in tears".

Union officials claimed that Ms Doyle acknowledged the concerns, but also suggested that the term "bullying" was too often used in situations like these.

Following the publication of the letter from Bectu, law firm Capital Law was appointed by S4C to undertake an independent investigation into concerns raised.

S4C said it would begin the process to appoint a new chief executive in due course, as well as "publish a report that explains further the nature of the evidence received during the fact-finding process".

In a statement, the broadcaster said: "The nature and weight of the evidence provided was deeply troubling. It has undoubtedly been a challenging time for many individuals.

"As members of the authority, we would like to apologise for the stress and anguish caused by behaviours experienced in the workplace."