Salary Negotiations

[Ooooopsdilemma]

Hi all, can anyone give me some thoughts on how salary negotiations work? I think I might be promoted this year. Apparently when my case was discussed some suggested I go straight for readership (currently lecturer). For some reason, I didn't and have applied for senior lectureship. Should I get this, can anyone tell me what happens with salary negotiations? I want to negotiate towards the top of the spine for Senior Lecturer - but is that generally possible/likely with a promotion? Thanks in advance!

I don't think it's usual to know the salaries in detail, but one can usually work out roughly where non-professors are by looking at when they were promoted to senior lecturer, reader etc. Professors can be all over the professorial scales and you don't generally know where people are unless you are head of department.

It is outrageous that salary information was sent to you. I hope complaints were made about that.

Not sure what you can do really, apart from look for a job elsewhere. In principle Athena SWAN is meant to look at the gender pay gap but in practice most places are not doing so in a serious way. For example, I know some universities have concluded that they have no statistically significant gender pay gap, as women and men in the same bands get about the same pay. However, this does not mean that the women are in the right bands: if a 50 year old women with a better record is getting paid the same as a 40 year old, then the pay clearly isn't fair, just because they are at the same level.

A really common tactic nowadays is to get a job with the promotion elsewhere, and then use this to bargain your way upwards in your own department. I am not sure of the ethics of it, but it is remarkably effective if you are the kind of member of staff an institution is loath to lose.

Thanks everybody. Been having a manic end of term hence not replying. I think I might ask for a discretionary incremental rise, and see what happens. No point in not. I disagree with the statement made earlier - if you are interested in money, don't be an academic. It is true, money is not my primary or only objective (I moved from a more lucrative career to become an academic). But on the other hand money is necessary to live and I also know for sure that colleagues who deliver less (who are yes, often male) are getting paid more. I am at a university with a notoriously persistent gender pay gap, resulting in several court cases etc. But I am aware that in order to get a substantial rise, I will need to have a job offer in hand - and that if I use that as a bargaining chip, I should be prepared to take it up! Thanks again!

I also know for sure that colleagues who deliver less (who are yes, often male) are getting paid more.

Yes, indeed. I have had to fight very hard to get roughly equal pay to male colleagues who deliver less than me.

I know of someone who pretended they got a job, and used the fake offer successfully as a bargaining chip to get a chair and a raise!! Amazing brass neck!

While I obviously condemn such shenanigans, there is a lesson about asking and getting in there...!

I think it is getting much hard to pretend offers or salary levels of offers, though. My university certainly looks for proof of the salary level offered, via an official offer letter.