BBC wins case (From Penarth Times)

BBC wins case

A PENARTH broadcaster has lost her race discrimination battle against the BBC. Asian Annand Jasani, 53, of Uppercliff Close, who was awarded an MBE for being a 'cultural ambassador', claimed she had suffered fifteen years of abuse by the corporation's chiefs.

Mother-of-two, Mrs Jasani told the tribunal: 'It is as if I'm an unintelligent native from the Raj years.'

Tribunal chiefs rejected her claim that she was treated any worse than other BBC staff.

Chairman, Maurice Woods said: 'She has shown a tendency to become very emotional, when things are said with which she doesn't agree.'

Mrs Jasani has interviewed Tony Blair, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama and Vanessa Redgrave on her Asian magazine show A Voice For All.

Indian-born Mrs Jasani told an employment tribunal that she has been 'slowly and subtly bullied by male-dominated management.' She stated that she was expected to buy her own records and pay for competition prizes out of her £267 weekly wage, and that her husband and daughter had to answer listeners phone calls on the show broadcast on BBC Radio Wales, which is aimed at the 40,000 Asians living in Wales.

Mrs Jasani gave evidence at the tribunal, about the fact that her BBC portrait photograph was taken down from the walls of Broadcasting House in Cardiff. She also had to endure her live show being moved to a 'graveyard shift' on Sunday nights, from 10.30pm to midnight, and claimed that the commissioning editor, Daniel Jones refused to move it.

At the tribunal, the BBC accused her of making up the allegation, and of having a 'tendency to exaggerate.' Chairman, Mr Woods said: 'She was not treated less favourably than any other freelance presenters. She was employed on identical terms with them, and her remuneration package was in line with theirs.' He added: 'Her programme has a limited audience and the funds that were made available for it had to reflect its status.'

BBC Wales head of programmes Keith Jones said: 'We were never in doubt that our treatment of Mrs Jasani had been anything less than fair and equitable throughout,' adding, 'we are grateful the tribunal has recognised this fact in its judgement.'