Job Share, difference in pay

Apenny_2

Hello, first time poster, please be gentle.

I have a problem that I was hoping that someone may be able to answer for me.

I have recently been offered a job for 6 months (a secondment) however when it came down to it, the job was offered to both applicants, myself (female) and a colleague (male). We are to share the same job for three months each. The reasons given were that we both had areas in which we were lacking and we both interviewed evenly.

My manager inadvertantly let slip that my colleague is currently earning more than me, but not the amount he earns, but it must be significant because if he got a 25% raise he would be above the overtime limit, while a 25% increase in my salary is not even grazing it!

So my question is this, I understand that my colleague earns more than me, he's older, therefore started working at the company with a higher initial salary and that has increased over the 3 years he's been there. I started at the same time, in a different department, and earned less. But now we will be doing the same job, we have the same skills, and have been working at the company for about the same period of time. I want to broach this topic with my manager tomorrow in meeting first thing, I don't want to come across as petty or look like I'm slinging allegations of discrimination (I'm both female and non white after all), but when the issue is that the job not only a similar job, but the same job, should I not expect equal pay? Thank you for your help.

foxwales

Same job
Same Skills
Same length of Service
= Same pay

If they are not prepared to offer you the same wage that he is earning for exactly the same job; then yes you have a very strong case of discrminiation on the grounds of your gender.

Equal Pay Legislation

The right to equal pay for work of equal value is set out in Article 141 of the EU Treaty, which states: “Each Member State shall ensure that the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for work of equal value is applied.”

In the UK, the right to equal pay is set out in the Equal Pay Act 1970. The effect of a successful claim for equal pay is that an “equality clause” is inserted into the Claimant’s contract of employment, meaning that the worker is entitled to equality of pay and other terms and conditions with someone of the opposite sex in a comparable job.

There are codes of practice published by the European Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission which although are not legally binding, may be used in evidence in equal pay claims.

LittleVoice

One counter view is to look at the statements that "The reasons given were that we both had areas in which we were lacking and we both interviewed evenly." and "We are to share the same job for three months each."

That looks like sequential working - so there could be a change in pay rate after the first three months. Who goes first?

Though the skills are described elsewhere as being the same, the employer is saying there are areas which are "lacking". It may be that these are different areas and actually the "interviewed evenly" statement doesn't override the value of one set of measured abilities.

However, on the face of it as given by Apenny, there certainly seems to be a case. If the other person is the first to undertake the work, then I would only challenge after he has been in post for a while.

seven-day-weekend

Can't answer you question direcrly, but when I did my Jobshare at a Council, I earned more than my colleage.

The Payscale for the job was Scale 2-4. However, because of my experience I was on the top of Scale 4 and she was in the middle of Scale 3.

So although we were on the same payscale, doing the same job, we had different salaries.

Hope this helps.

nzmegs

I think it is worthwhile bringing up. it is comman fact that women are underpaid compared to men in the same positions and the reason for it in your case could be that your collegue pushed for it and you didn't.
Go in there and stand up for yourself. Ask them to justify it, quote the equal pay legislation and if the justification is good enough for you then fine...if not then please don't let them do it.

I believe there is a culture of this sort of thing happening in business. Often the employer doesn't even realise they are doing it. So many factors come into play - they think "oh - he has a family and so deserves more" or "he is used to a better salary" or subconsciously they think "he is likely to do a better job".
None of these things are valid as the legislation says one thing only - equal job, equal pay.

glossgal

Sorry to say I think the discrimination angle is a case of barking up the wrong tree-lots of people do the same work for different pay depending on their contracts and gender usually doesn't have anything to do with it. I can think of at least two collegues who are much less experianced than me and have worked at the company less but get thousands more pa than me, I don't like this (!) but their posts are funded differently to mine. As others have said also, accrued loyalty increments for length of service will affect what your collegue is getting anyway in this new role or any other. I have seconded jobs on an informal basis and been given my usual salary ie more than the person doing the job permanently would be paid.

If you were both starting from scratch in a new company then the equality thing may be relevant but I don't see it in your case OP.

lucyabc

If he is also seconded his pay will be honoured as it is, even though it does seem unfair to you

Apenny_2

Hi Thank you all for your advice and your comments.

I spoke to the manager today and he assured me that I will get paid equally in the role. My colleagues core salary is slightly higher than mine, (a difference of about 2-3%) but he also earns stipends for other roles that he undertakes, so he gets, for example, £50 a month for ensuring that the first aid boxes are stocked and for maintaining a database and also he gets monthly call out fee. These little things add up and he's therefore on a higher gross salary than me, but only because of his extras. Because the overtime limit in our company is at a certain level, he doesn't want to exceed it and lose his entitlement to overtime, he tends to work Sundays, so he can get double time instead of time & a half. If he pulled his finger out during the week, he'd probably finish it in good time, as I am able, but he does love the overtime. I do feel for his poor wife who only tends to see him for about an hour a day.

So overall our core salaries are almost the same and so our pay increase should bring us to within 3% of each other, not equal, but not as bad as I thought.

Thanks for the advice again.