London (CNN Business) The UK Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched an investigation into whether the BBC broke the law by paying women less than men for the same work.

The commission said in a statement Tuesday that it was looking at "suspected past pay discrimination" following complaints from women at the network who were paid less than male colleagues.

"After looking at all of the information, we suspect that some women at the organization have not received equal pay for equal work," the commission said in its statement.

"We will look at formal and informal pay complaints raised with the BBC by staff to decide if there has been unlawful pay discrimination against women and whether complaints have been adequately resolved," it added.

A spokesperson for the BBC said the network was "profoundly sorry" for historic pay cases, but it believes "our pay structures are now fair" and "transparent to staff."

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