Radio 4 star takes BBC to court ‘for paying men more’
A PROMINENT BBC presenter is taking the broadcaster to court over its alleged gender pay gap.
Samira Ahmed, who hosts Radio 4 arts programme Front Row, claims that she was paid less than her male counterparts for similar work.
Her case is scheduled to be held at an employment tribunal in central London over five days next week in what is expected to be the first of a string of similar cases against the BBC.
Miss Ahmed, 51, is taking the action over alleged ‘failure to provide equal pay for equal value work’, according to tribunal documents.
The action will be hugely embarrassing for the BBC – which has faced massive controversy over its gender pay gap in recent years.
The corporation’s China editor Carrie Gracie quit her role last year after complaining that male colleagues were paid more than her. There followed months of turmoil at the broadcaster over concerns that women’s salaries were less than men’s.
Miss Ahmed has been one of many female presenters to hit out at the issue of pay inequality at the BBC. She threw her support behind Miss Gracie on social media when the row erupted in January 2018.
She tweeted at the time: ‘Equal pay for equal work of equal value is the law. If it’s happening to BBC women, it’s happening to you.’
Miss Ahmed, who also hosts Newswatch, has previously said she felt ‘ hugely bullied’ over her employment status at the BBC.
This comment was made as she gave evidence to MPs last year about the way the BBC encouraged staff to be paid through personal service companies.
Miss Ahmed’s representatives refused to provide any further details about her employment tribunal case yesterday. The BBC also refused to comment.
It recently emerged that the BBC had paid a £130,000 settlement to former member of staff Caroline Barlow, who was said to have found out there were around 15 men in comparable roles getting more than her.
This year it was revealed that the Equality and Human Rights
Commission is investigating historic pay discrimination against women at the BBC.
It is understood that Miss Ahmed has been lined up to present a couple of shifts on BBC Radio 4’ s Today programme, filling in for regular hosts, in the coming weeks. Miss Gracie also presented Today on the same day she was dominating the headlines over her battle with BBC bosses.
In June last year, Miss Ahmed announced that she was putting herself forward for the role of presenter of Question Time – the job was eventually given to Fiona Bruce. She posted on Twitter saying she would like to be ‘seriously considered’ and that she was well qualified to do the job.