On less pay than colleagues doing exact same job

tikki999 · 13 January 2018 at 2:27PM

When offered a job last year, I was told that I would start at the bottom end of the pay scale as I did not have enough experience and they would be employing people with more experience who could help me out at the start.

Very quickly, it was apparent that nobody had previous experience of this position (call centre) but we all had professional experience in the area of work the call centre deals in. In fact, my qualifications are higher than those of several of my colleagues doing the EXACT same job. Over time, I realise, through casual conversation and information that was offered to me by several colleagues, that several colleagues are being paid at the higher end of the scale.

I quickly began to feel that I had been duped, in terms of the rationale for starting me at the lowest end of the salary scale and, discovering that my colleagues are earning more than me for doing the same job, I am angry and deeply resentful of the company. This information does not impact how I feel about my colleagues - we are a great team, I respect them all and they deserve their salary (as would I!)

My probationary period is soon to end and at the last review I told my manager about my feelings around this and what steps I could take to address this. I have not spoken to colleagues, and will not do so. My manager told me that I either wait until pay rises are negotiated in a few months time OR I would have to take it 'to the top' now.

I've just been digging around for information, and as I understand it, it is illegal to pay employees different salaries for doing the same job. Any thoughts?

In the meantime, I am looking for alternative work, there's just not a lot around in my field.

[Deleted User] · 13 January 2018 at 2:35PM

tikki999 wrote: »

I've just been digging around for information, and as I understand it, it is illegal to pay employees different salaries for doing the same job. Any thoughts?

It's not. .

Mulder00 · 13 January 2018 at 2:53PM

There's no law saying people doing the same job have to be paid the same.

Forget about what others are earning and ask yourself if you would have been content with your salary without knowing what they earn. It feels much better achieving something due to own merit and hard work, rather than being simply because someone else earns more.

Stop being jealous and focus on your own life and circumstances.

ssparks2003 · 13 January 2018 at 3:04PM

As others have said you have not right to the same pay, you ever need to negotiate more pay, accept the level of pay that you were will accept for the role originally, resign and get a job elsewhere for more money. These are your rights.

xapprenticex · 13 January 2018 at 3:06PM

This is why staff should not be talking about salary at work.

crackerberry · 13 January 2018 at 3:31PM

xapprenticex wrote: »

This is why staff should not be talking about salary at work.

The law says they can, and so they should.

Comms69 · 13 January 2018 at 3:31PM

Which law?...

crackerberry · 13 January 2018 at 3:35PM

Equality Act 2010
c15, part 5, chapter 3, disclosure of information, s77

RichardD1970 · 13 January 2018 at 3:47PM

crackerberry wrote: »

Equality Act 2010
c15, part 5, chapter 3, disclosure of information, s77

Isn't that just relevant to having a protected characteristic?

Pretty sure I have heard of people who have it written into their contracts that they aren't allowed to discuss pay with colleagues.

theoretica · 13 January 2018 at 3:57PM

xapprenticex wrote: »

This is why staff should not be talking about salary at work.

Or exactly why they should, so employers cut down on this sort of variation unless they can openly justify it, because they don't want disgruntled staff.

crackerberry · 13 January 2018 at 4:01PM

RichardD1970 wrote: »

Isn't that just relevant to having a protected characteristic?

Pretty sure I have heard of people who have it written into their contracts that they aren't allowed to discuss pay with colleagues.

I've had it written into my contract in the past too.

As long as an employee/employees are discussing pay because one or more suspects or is concerned about "unfair pay" then they are within their legal rights to discuss it and cannot be discriplined or told otherwise for doing so.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/77

77 Discussions about pay

(1)A term of a person's work that purports to prevent or restrict the person (P) from disclosing or seeking to disclose information about the terms of P's work is unenforceable against P in so far as P makes or seeks to make a relevant pay disclosure.

(2)A term of a person's work that purports to prevent or restrict the person (P) from seeking disclosure of information from a colleague about the terms of the colleague's work is unenforceable against P in so far as P seeks a relevant pay disclosure from the colleague; and “colleague” includes a former colleague in relation to the work in question.

(3)A disclosure is a relevant pay disclosure if made for the purpose of enabling the person who makes it, or the person to whom it is made, to find out whether or to what extent there is, in relation to the work in question, a connection between pay and having (or not having) a particular protected characteristic.

(4)The following are to be treated as protected acts for the purposes of the relevant victimisation provision—

(a)seeking a disclosure that would be a relevant pay disclosure;

(b)making or seeking to make a relevant pay disclosure;

(c)receiving information disclosed in a relevant pay disclosure.

(5)The relevant victimisation provision is, in relation to a description of work specified in the first column of the table, section 27 so far as it applies for the purposes of a provision mentioned in the second column.

On less pay than colleagues doing exact same job

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