Wrongful dismissal due 'to sexism'

Published on 16 Jun 2010 under category: legal

A former BBC presenter has entered into an employment dispute after claiming that she was made redundant because she is 53.

Miriam O'Reilly, who presented Countryfile, was replaced by Julia Bradbury, who is said to be 17 years younger.

According to Miss O'Reilly, she was regularly made aware of her age and her physical appearance.

The BBC has been accused of sexist ageist discrimination in a number of high-profile cases around the (alleged) wrongful dismissal of older, female presenters.

In two instances, both older women were replaced with younger presenters.

The channel received severe criticism for dropping Moira Stewart.

Other channels have been found guilty in employment disputes – in 2008, television veteran Selina Scott won a £250,000 dispute claim against Channel Five for age discrimination.

Cases accusing the public broadcaster of wrongful dismissal and discrimination have gone up four-fold over the past two years.

Miss O'Reilly's hearing in front of an employment tribunal will be in November this year.

If you require advice on employment disputes please call us on +44 (0)20 7831 0101 and ask for David Buckle.