Samira Ahmed gives evidence in 大象传媒 tribunal

Image source, PA Media

大象传媒 presenter Samira Ahmed has been giving evidence in her case claiming she was paid "a sixth" of what Jeremy Vine earned in "a very similar job".

An employment tribunal is considering a claim that Ahmed's pay on Newswatch should have been comparable with Vine's on 大象传媒 One's Points of View.

Ahmed says she was paid 拢440 per episode of Newswatch, while Vine received 拢3,000 for Points of View.

The 大象传媒 argues the two programmes cannot be compared.

Ahmed's legal team claimed on Wednesday the presenter made 拢693,245 less than Vine over seven years, between November 2012 and February 2019.

She was paid the same as her male predecessor, Ray Snoddy, for presenting Newswatch.

It emerged on Wednesday that another male presenter, Steve Hewlett, had been paid less than Ahmed when he stood in for her.

In a statement earlier this week, the 大象传媒 said it was "committed to equal pay".

"Points of View is an entertainment programme with a long history and is a household name with the public. Newswatch - while an important programme - isn't," the statement read.

"Samira was paid the same as her male predecessor when she began presenting Newswatch. Gender has not been a factor in levels of pay for Points of View. News and entertainment are very different markets and pay across the media industry reflects this."

The tribunal heard how Anne Robinson received 拢1,250 for hosting Points of View, more than the pay for both male and female presenters in the subsequent year. Terry Wogan was later paid 拢3,500 per episode.

The 大象传媒 said Newswatch, which began on the news channel and is now repeated within 大象传媒 Breakfast on a Saturday, was "relatively niche" in comparison to Points of View, which is seen as more of an entertainment programme.

That is disputed by Ahmed, who said at the tribunal that Newswatch was now attracting a bigger total audience than Points of View.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which is supporting Ahmed's case, says Newswatch's inclusion within 大象传媒 Breakfast means it has an audience reach of between 1.5 and 1.9 million people - more than double that of Points of View.

However, the 大象传媒's legal team claims Newswatch has "no discernible impact" on 大象传媒 Breakfast's normal viewing figures and is used to "fill out the programme" at the weekend.