Sexual discrimination/equal pay issue

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Comments

  • woody01
    woody01 Posts: 1,918 Forumite
    hedger wrote: »
    EXACTLY the same duties and she has an email from her direct manager confirming as much. regarding experience he has a NEBOSH Diploma (which is higher than the certificate) but the requirements for the job were NEBOSH Cert and a 3rd level qualification. he didnt have a 3rd level qualification but my wife does. he is younger then my wife so has not as much industry experience imo.
    from what I have researched (and we are now taking professional advice) it is clearly an equal pay issue

    There is no such thing as an equal pay issue.
  • woody01
    woody01 Posts: 1,918 Forumite
    Pete111 wrote: »
    Sounds like you have got a good case - a 7.7k difference for the same work/Quals is a big gap. The fact that the other worker is a man is also helpful to your argument. If I was their HR guy I would be concerned re the risk here (from what you have written anyway).

    Take advice (as you are doing). You may want to see how the redundancy situation pans out first however. If they make your wife redundant then I would advise this becomes a key part of the appeal/Claim against the company which should include. Unfair dismissal, Equal pay discrimination and Sex discrimination.

    Oh and take 1984's comments with a pinch of salt!

    Good luck

    P

    Shocking advice as there is simply no case to answer.

    The guy is obviously worth more to the COMPANY than the OP´s wife is.
  • hedger
    hedger Posts: 313 Forumite
    edited 15 June 2009 at 1:48PM
    woody01 wrote: »
    Shocking advice as there is simply no case to answer.

    The guy is obviously worth more to the COMPANY than the OP´s wife is.

    as I say we are taking advice on the issue but i believe wat u are saying is nonsense.
    how can you say there is no case to answer when a company has a male and a female doing exactly the same work but the male is being paid over £7000 more per year? the law clearly states that "Under the Equal Pay Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 (as amended) employees may claim equal pay with colleagues of the opposite sex where they are in the same
    employment and are doing:
    • work which is the same or broadly similar (known as "like work")?

    I am no expert but to me that is undeniably the case here. i think you may be one of the "old school" who think that companies can do what they want regarding women and inequality but those days are long gone.....
  • hedger
    hedger Posts: 313 Forumite
    woody01 wrote: »
    There is no such thing as an equal pay issue.

    so the the Equal Pay Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 does not exist? :rolleyes:
  • hedger wrote: »
    so the the Equal Pay Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 does not exist? :rolleyes:


    You asked for thoughts & opinions.

    I would listen if I was you but get a professional opinion as you say you are.

    If this 1970 law applied to you tell me...

    WHY IS HARRIET HARMEN RIGHT NOW TRYING TO PUSH ANOTHER EQUALITY BILL THROUGH TO COVER YOUR EXAMPLE????

    & by the way Ms Harmen has already had a final warning from the standards committee to stop using dodgy statistics to back up her arguement for a new law...


    But hey..

    Take it with a pinch of salt..
    Not Again
  • hedger
    hedger Posts: 313 Forumite
    You asked for thoughts & opinions.

    I would listen if I was you but get a professional opinion as you say you are.

    If this 1970 law applied to you tell me...

    WHY IS HARRIET HARMEN RIGHT NOW TRYING TO PUSH ANOTHER EQUALITY BILL THROUGH TO COVER YOUR EXAMPLE????

    & by the way Ms Harmen has already had a final warning from the standards committee to stop using dodgy statistics to back up her arguement for a new law...


    But hey..

    Take it with a pinch of salt..

    I did ask for thoughts and opinions (which I appreciate) and I am replying with my own thoughts and opinions. it seems a few on here like to think they are right and take it personally if an opposing view is given.:rolleyes:
    I dont know what Harmen is up to - all I am doing is reading the Labour Relations and Equality commission websites and their advice looks clear. Maybe I am interpreting it wrong. anyway the equality commission has contacted my wife today to take some details and are appointing an advisor to look at her case. we will also take professional legal advice on employment law as i think it is scandalous the way she has been treated

    I was just hopeful that someone on here would have been through a similar situation before
  • Pee
    Pee Posts: 3,826 Forumite
    The best first step is to phone ACAS and get some advice from them. It is sadly true that men are paid more than women for doing a number of jobs, despite there being legislation to stop this. It is hard to proved whether this is because one person is better at a job or if it is to do with their sex.

    I certainly don't think you have a cast iron case, there being only one other emplyee at the same level, but I do think it is worth phoning ACAS, checking your insurance re: a solicitor or having a half hour free initail interview with a solicitor and deciding what you and your wife want to do next from there.
  • Hedger.

    Good luck with whatever you decide to do. I hope your wife isnt made redundant as its a bad time to be unemployed in most industries.

    I am sure someone will be along who has been through the situation.

    As for me I know it is not as clear cut as some people on here are suggesting & you seem to think.

    ACAS is prob your best bet but they are going to be busy with all the redundancy problems their advisors have been dealing with.

    The best people on here is prob a poster called Sue something.. Have a look for her posts..
    Not Again
  • Pete111
    Pete111 Posts: 5,333
    Mortgage-free Glee!
    Forumite
    woody01 wrote: »
    Shocking advice as there is simply no case to answer.

    The guy is obviously worth more to the COMPANY than the OP´s wife is.


    Yep - that's how I got to be an HR director for a multinational. By giving shocking employee relations advice....

    I say again. If what he writes is true then there is likely to be a case here and I would not like to be advising the other side as they have dropped the ball by letting slip the other guys salary just prior to a redundancy situation.

    Equal pay legislation does exist and many cases have gone to tribunal on this here in the UK. These days they tend to be overshadowed by Sex discrimination cases that hit the headlines when City Girls take their banks to the cleaners....
    Go round the green binbags. Turn right at the mouldy George Elliot, forward, forward, and turn left....at the dead badger
  • kateab
    kateab Posts: 2,824 Forumite
    ... because compensation for sexual discrimination cases is unlimited, meaning it can cost a company an awful lot of money. Assuming one can prove one's case. However, a lot of companies think they can get away with it because their employees don't want the hassle of taking them to tribunal. In many cases, they are probably right but those that do get caught pay in a big way.

    I raised a grievance with work over a potential sexual discrimination issue and they soon changed their mind about that, I think after taking proper legal advice. That's why, before this thread got silly, I recommend getting in touch with RJW.

    kateab
    Definitely NOT the blogger at Katie and the Kids, OK?
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