Yahoo News Samira Ahmed wins her pay claim against the BBC
Samira Ahmed has triumphed in the employment tribunal she brought against the BBC over sex discrimination and equal pay.
The presenter, 51, took action after claiming that she was not paid enough for hosting the show Newswatch.
She compared the £440 per episode she pocketed to Jeremy Vine’s salary of up to £3,000 for an episode of Points Of View.
Read more: Samira Ahmed applauded as she arrives for tribunal
Ahmed claimed the work was comparable, and the tribunal’s judgment agreed.
The judgment in Samira Ahmed v BBC handed down by Judge Harjit Grewal in the Central London Employment Tribunal is now available online: https://t.co/oevWxPgTVN
— Judicial Office (@JudiciaryUK) January 10, 2020
In its judgment, the tribunal ruled that under the Equality Act 2010 “her work on Newswatch was like Jeremy Vine's work on Points Of View”.
Read more: Samira Ahmed taking BBC to tribunal
It also said that the BBC “has not shown that the difference in pay was because of a material factor which did not involve subjecting the claimant [Ahmed] to sex discrimination”.
According to the BBC, Ahmed said she was “glad” it had been resolved.
The corporation said Ahmed was “an excellent journalist and presenter”, adding: “We regret that this case ever had to go to tribunal.”
The BBC also said: “We have always believed that the pay of Samira and Jeremy Vine was not determined by their gender.
“Presenters – female as well as male – had always been paid more on Points Of View than Newswatch.”
The tribunal ended in November, but the judgement was released today (January 10).
