Money Moral Dilemma: My colleague is paid more to do the same job - what should I do?

Pollycat

mjm3346 wrote: »

You are just getting by doing the job, they outperform you in everything they do including going beyond just what needs to be done for the job. If anything their contribution is undervalued and they should really be looking for a far wider pay difference.

Wow! And you got all that from this:

MSE_Sarah wrote: »

I just discovered my colleague is paid almost £5,000/yr more than me, yet we do exactly the same job and have similar levels of experience. Should I speak up?

Amazing. :cool:

Ebenezer_Screwj

Has your colleague got more years service than you? Employers are not legally bound to pay the same salary for your perceived equality on any level with him/her.

boothros

Length of service or level of experience is not always an indicator. I’m not the OP, but please let me share my experience of why my three colleagues are paid £200 per month more than me.

In 2004 all departments in my industry were asked to sign a new pay contract. This was a voluntary move although all new starters after a certain date would automatically be put onto the new contract.

For myself, it meant a small drop in pay, and it was reputed that my particular position was possibly earmarked to be re-banded as in the opinion of my seniors, my job had been evaluated unfairly being somewhat specialist and incomparable to any other position. I was advised by senior staff in my department to ‘wait and see’ as I would be foolish to sign away the contract I had at that time.

For these reasons, I didn’t sign the new contract on the understanding that I wouldn’t automatically get any Government actioned pay rises, which meant that eventually, my colleagues pay level would overtake my own, (which they did a couple of years ago). I was contacted by HR last year to enquire as to whether I would like to reconsider signing the pay deal and as a considerable pay rise was in the offing for members on the scheme, I decided I would.

I was disheartened to discover however that my three colleagues are paid a little more than £200 p/m more than me. Even though I had reached the uppermost pay bracket in on my old pay scale, as I have just signed the new contract, I am considered a new starter even though the job description itself has not changed whatsoever.

I have ten tears experience’s above any of my other three colleagues having trained two of them and interviewed one for the position. Two of them have appalling sick records and none of them choose to do overtime. I also help out my more senior colleagues with extra work that is actually theirs to do but which helps us all out and of which they’re very appreciative.
To work my way up through the pay bands of my new contract and match the pay my fellow workers earn could take my anything up to another seven years at just such a time that I would like to be adding more to my own works place pension.

So no, loyalty, long service and goodwill mean absolutely nothing in the great scheme of things. I could walk into the same establishment and start the worst paid job they have to offer tomorrow and still be on the wages that I’m on now which is all rather heart breaking.