LONDON: British-Pakistani journalist Saima Mohsin has won the right to take news network CNN to an employment tribunal in the UK over unfair dismissal and discrimination.
Judge Klimov ruled in Mohsin’s favour following a preliminary hearing last month. Her case can proceed to a full tribunal at the London Central Employment Tribunal. However, a date for the hearing is yet to be determined.
The network disputed Mohsin’s case on territorial grounds, arguing that her employment contract meant that the UK tribunal did not have jurisdiction over her claims.
Mohsin was injured on assignment in Jerusalem for CNN in 2014 when she was covering the Israel-Palestine conflict. Her cameraman ran over her foot, causing tissue damage and chronic pain and preventing her from working full-time.
She claims that CNN terminated her contract in 2017 after she requested alternative duties and support.
After the ruling, the case can now proceed on the grounds of dismissal, disability discrimination, victimization, failure to make reasonable adjustments, and equal pay.
A separate claim of racial discrimination falls outside of this period of consideration so will not now move forward.
“I have constantly offered reinstatement or mediation and negotiations. I didn’t ask for this battle while learning to deal with an invisible disability and rebuild my life. But it was important I take a stand,” she said in a statement.
She said her case raises questions about protections for journalists and the treatment of those with a disability. Mohsin alleged that she faced racial and disability discrimination as well as a gender pay gap during her stint at CNN.
She also alleged that the managers preferred white American correspondents over her even when she was ready to go live on the ground, giving her less on-air time.
