Sarah Montague wins 拢400,000 deal from BBC in row over equal pay
The host of Radio 4's World At One says she went public about the settlement following "erroneous" newspaper reports.
Monday 20 January 2020 07:35, UK
Radio presenter Sarah Montague has won a 拢400,000 settlement and an apology from the BBC after being treated "unequally" by them for years.
The 53-year-old accepted the settlement last year after being warned that a battle to try to repair the situation could "run into the millions".
Ms Montague previously presented BBC Radio 4's Today programme alongside veteran journalist John Humphrys.
She said the deal came after a "long period of stressful negotiations", which were triggered after discovering a disparity in her pay and conditions.
The presenter of World At One on BBC Radio 4 and the HARDtalk interview on television announced the deal on Twitter.
"I would prefer not to be talking about my pay but feel I have no option given the erroneous reports in today's papers. Here are the facts," she posted.
"When I discovered the disparity in my pay and conditions, I was advised that rectifying it all could run into the millions. I chose not to seek such sums from the BBC but I did want some recognition that they had underpaid me.
"Last year after a long period of stressful negotiation, I accepted a settlement of £400,000 subject to tax and an apology from the BBC for paying me unequally for so many years."
The payout comes after presenter Samira Ahmed won the employment tribunal she brought against the BBC in a dispute over equal pay.
She had claimed she was underpaid by £700,000 for hosting audience feedback show Newswatch, compared with Jeremy Vine's salary for TV show Points Of View.
The unanimous judgement said her work was like that done by Mr Vine, and the BBC had failed to prove the pay gap was not because of sex discrimination.