Samira Ahmed was greeted with cheers when she arrived at the Central London Employment Tribunal last Monday, to launch one of the most high-pro left gender pay-gap cases ever seen in Britain. The 51-year-old journalist is taking the BBC to court over unequal pay, claiming that she is paid 85% less than her male equivalent.
Lawyers for Samira argue that she has been paid just £440 per episode for presenting Newswatch (which she has done since 2012), while broadcaster Jeremy Vine received £3,000 for each episode of Points Of View, a post he le last year. She is suing the BBC for £693,245 in lost earnings.
Both programmes are presenter-led, last about 15 minutes, and offer the public the opportunity to critique BBC content – so, Samira reasons, she has a right to the same fee: equal pay for equal work. What’s more, the Newswatch audience is between 1.5 and 1.9 million, while Points of View attracts fewer viewers: around 800,000. In response, the BBC argues that the shows are not comparable – that Newswatch is a news format, which typically pays less than an entertainment show, which is what it classes Points Of View as.
But it’s not only Samira taking the BBC to court over equal pay: there are potentially 12 other tribunals in the pipeline, according to Carrie Gracie, who resigned as BBC China editor last year over the gender pay gap.
‘Samira’s case is vitally important for women at the BBC as it’s the first to end before a judge,’ says Carrie, who was among female colleagues there to support Samira last Monday. ‘Since the pay crisis began two years ago, Samira, like many others, has endured an exhausting internal complaints process, and it is a sad indictment of the pay culture at the BBC that we have come to this pass. But no one should underestimate the challenge for any woman in litigating against the employer that controls her career.
‘Samira is both brave and resilient and I know many BBC women who have had their equal pay complaints rejected will watch Samira’s case play out in tribunal and debate whether to follow her example. Our hope is that, if Samira wins, it’ll convince our employer to start listening at last.'
This is not a problem con ned to the BBC, however. Last week, new figures revealed that the gender pay gap has widened for the first time in six years, despite the 2017 legislation that required all companies with 250-plus employees to publish their annual pay-gap data.
According to the Office for National Statistics, full-time male workers were paid on average 8.9% more than women this year, up from 8.6% in 2018. The figure had previously been falling since 2013, when it stood at 10%.
A breakdown of the gures showed the gender pay gap had grown signi cantly among the highest paid: among managers, directors and senior o cials it widened from 13.9% to 15.9%.
‘At this rate, it will take 60 years to eradicate the pay gap,’ says Sam Smethers, chief executive at The Fawcett Society, which campaigns for equality. 14 November will mark Equal Pay Day when, because of the gender pay gap, women e ectively stop earning relative to men and start working for free until the end of the year.
As for Samira, the tribunal is expected to continue to hear evidence this week, before the tribunal judge and panel will make their judgement in the weeks to come. Says Sam, ‘So many women will be willing her on to succeed and, inspired by her, challenge pay discrimination in their own workplaces.’
When it comes to what we can all do to help, Sam says it starts with having more honest conversations. ‘Start talking about pay at work,’ she says. ‘Get together with your colleagues and share what you are all earning.’ Because surely, as Samira is doing, challenging this type of inequality when we come across it is the only way to truly close the gap. As Sam says, ‘As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, women have waited long enough.’
If you face discrimination, try The Fawcett Society and YESS Law’s advice service (free for those earning under £30k) at fawcettsociety.org.uk/equal-pay-advice-service
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