NEWSWATCH presenter Samira Ahmed won her sex-discrimination case against the BBC today, when an employment tribunal judge ruled that she was underpaid for her work.

In its written judgement, the panel compared her salary to that which Jeremy Vine received for presenting Points of View and stated: “The difference in pay in this case was striking.

“Jeremy Vine was paid more than six times what the claimant was paid for doing the same work.”

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which represented Ms Ahmed, applauded her “resounding victory” in the “landmark” equal-pay case.

Ms Ahmed said: “No woman wants to have to take action against their own employer.

“I’m now looking forward to continuing to do my job, to report on stories and not being one.”

The BBC said that Ms Ahmed “is an excellent journalist and presenter” and it hopes to “move on in a positive way.”

In a statement, the corparation claimed: “We’re committed to equality and equal pay. Where we’ve found equal-pay cases in the past, we’ve put them right.”

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “It was an incredibly brave decision on Samira’s part to take forward this case.

“No-one wants to battle their employer in a public tribunal hearing, but the BBC’s failure to meaningfully negotiate made legal proceedings inevitable.

“This outcome should also be a wake-up call for all employers.

“Stamping out the scourge of unequal pay at work should be a priority for all organisations. The NUJ will be building on this victory and supporting our members throughout the industry in making pay inequity a thing of the past.”