Return from maternity leave

[SophiaMaddie]

Hi all, please help. Have returned from mat. leave to work and accepted lower grade job, less responsibilities etc. also this ment £5k pay cut. I have appealed the company's decision about the pay cut and was told as it is a step down it also means a paycut. I have found out recently that three girls done the same, all three of them changed their jobs ( none of them was on mat. leave). Basically all three changed from the same job I was doing before leave and accepted lower grade jobs, but the difference is all three of them kept the same old salary. When I mentioned this to my current line manager, how is this possible, she could not care less. Have contacted our union, not much luck there either. So after 15 years of loyal service to this big company, I am working with people who have just started on bigger salary then me. It really upsets me, not sure who to contact for advice, is it maternity disrimination case?! has something like this happened to you? any ideas what to do? thank you so much xxxx

[FunkyBoldRibena]

I'd advise you to post on redundancy forum and ask SarEl who is an employment lawyer and will ask you the necessary questions in order to give you a legal answer.

www.redundancyforum.co.uk/

[flowery]

How strange to immediately direct someone asking for advice to a different forum as though she were posting in the wrong place!

What were the circumstances that lead you to accept a lower grade job OP?

[FunkyBoldRibena]

Erm, I just happen to know a forum that has a very good employment lawyer who gives good accurate advice pro bono. What is so wrong in directing someone to an expert in that field? The OP is obviously is some distress about this. How odd to not want the OP to be able to access advice from a range of sources.

[Mrswellyboot]

Ths doesn't sound right to me

I hope you get the advice you need.

[flowery]

She is already posting in the Employment topic with several regular posters who "give good accurate advice pro bono", who are "experts in that field", including employment lawyers.

I can't see anything I've posted suggesting I do "not want the OP to be able to access advice from a range of sources" so I'm not sure where you get that idea.

I just find it a bit odd when someone has posted in an Employment forum to immediate suggest she would be best posting in a different one, that's all.

OP if you do decide to return to this thread, it would be helpful if you could outline how you ended up in a lower grade role.

[FunkyBoldRibena]

This isn't a specialist employment forum, it may be an employment board on a general forum, but it's not an employment forum.

OP, obviously I advised you incorrectly, do not under any circumstances post on an actual employment forum.

There, sorted.

[flowery]

Oh don't be silly, and please stop putting words in my mouth. The OP can and should post wherever she likes and I never said any different. I simply expressed a view about what you posted, which I wish I hadn't bothered doing now.

If you have any concerns about advice people give on this forum, (sorry, "board on a general forum", that technicality is obviously important) feel free to post those concerns on the threads in question.

[SophiaMaddie]

Hi all, thank you for your comments. I have accepted a lower grade job as it meant working part time as my old job was available to me on same terms and conditions as before mat. leave ie.full time only.So I fully understand that, no responsibilities etc.= less money. But it is very upsetting that girls are stepping down from that full time job, accepting a lower grade job , exactly what I have done, working part time and still keeping the same old salary. Must be who you know not what you know case......

[flowery]

Ok, well firstly did you make a formal flexible working request for your old job part time, and were you happy that the right procedure was followed and that their refusal was suitable justified?

Assuming you were, and that's all ok, the issue is lack of parity in salaries with others who have done the same. Because they are all women, there is not an equal pay issue as there would be if they were men, so your claim would be that you have been penalised because of your maternity leave, as (presumably) that is the only difference in circumstances. When it's maternity discrimination that is the issue, you don't need a male comparator, so the fact that your colleagues are all female doesn't matter.

I would suggest a grievance, outlining that there are four of you who have changed from x job to y job. Three of you have kept the same salary, and you have had your salary reduced. Because the only difference is the fact that you have been on maternity leave, you feel this is maternity related discrimination and would like your salary to match the others.

How are your union being unhelpful? They should certainly be helping you fight something like this, that's why you pay them your dues year in year out! If your local rep is not helping you, is there someone higher you can go to? There normally is. You could contact the head office of the union directly if you are concerned.

[RRRJ83]

Are they now on a higher salary than you? We're you on a higher grade in your previous role and therefore have to drop down. If they were already on a lower grade then that might explain why they didn't have a paycut.