UK: Samira Ahmed’s historic win against BBC invigorates the fight for equal pay
January 10, 2020 — The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the London Central Employment Tribunal’s landmark decision in favor of Samira Ahmed, a journalist and TV host of the program Newswatch. She had taken BBC to the Tribunal for underpaying her because of gender discrimination, and has now won her claim against her employer. We are glad to learn that her case has been resolved for the better.
Samira took on BBC in October last year because she was being paid one-sixth of the salary received by her colleague Jeremy Vine, who hosts popular BBC program Points of View. The pay was around 85% less than what Jeremy was being paid. Jeremy hosted Points of View for a decade till July 2018. Samira was paid £465 per episode for Newswatch, while Jeremy received a whopping £3,000. For anyone who thinks, our colleague was not making a fair demand should note the sheer discrmination at play in this case.
Following her claim, Samira launched an equal pay case with the help of her legal team and immense support from her colleagues including Naga Munchetty, the presenter of BBC Breakfast show and broadcaster Aasmah Mir, as well as the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The Tribunal acknowledged Samira’s claim and noted the striking disparity in pay in its judgement. They found her work equal to that of Jeremy. Samira’s courage and perseverance has paved way for many fellow journalists to speak up against the discrimination they face in the industry.
Samira’s win will remain historic for women journalists around the world, who struggle each day to deliver quality work and yet are paid less than their male colleagues. In a bid to deliver quality journalism, women journalists put the same amount of effort whether on the ground or in newsrooms. In fact, they are known for working much harder than men to prove their competence.
Women journalists tend to outperform and work hard to tell stories even in the face of blatant harassment, intimidation and bias. All women journalists who have ever been discriminated against in the industry, especially in terms of remuneration, must take notes from Samira’s case and claim their right to equal pay.
We, at CFWIJ, hope that Samira’s win encourages our oppressed colleagues across the world to demand equal pay. We hope that media corporations will stop bias, and ensure fair remuneration for their employees regardless of their gender and sexual orientation.
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ
Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org
