AIBU to want to bring this up? Work related.

[crazyhouse123]

Hi all. I started my new job just over a year ago, and had a rocky start due to factors that were not me. The company were keen to keep me, I am good at my job!, so two months ago they moved me to take on my own customer. I now work in a great team of 4. One of the guys is now leaving and u have just found out that they are advertising his job at 3 and a half grand more than they pay me. Even taking into account his pay rises in the three years he has been there, it will still be significantly more than they pay me. We do the same job!
I want to bring this up. I took a small pay cut for this job for all sorts of reasons, my old company was merging and there was lots of uncertainty, this one is so close to home it's great (no commuting!) And I wanted the chance to move on in my career post-dc.
So am I being unreasonable to want to say something? And if I do, how do I say it? It has really pissed me off but I am not good at these sorts of things! Though much better than I was!

YADNBU. It's illegal to pay men and women differently for the same role. Does your employer have some kind of 'ladder' within grades for length of service - your post suggests he's been there three years and you've been there one - in which case if yo received a £1k pay rise each year for service you could say there was parity. But if they've just managed to get you in on a cheaper rate and have no intention of progressing you then they're on dodgy ground.

You should raise this directly with your line manager in the first instance to ask how they intend to rectify the situation and then write to HR if you don't get a decent response.

I personally wouldn’t bring up the men and woman thing because they’re advertising the post and that might not necesarily be what they are paying him? Also if they hire a woman for the other post then your whole argument for a pay rise is gone. I’d write down everything you do that you feel deserves a pay rise and point out that you’ve noticed the job advert and feel that would be the pay you expect.

Can you apply for the advertised job? Or say you are going to apply as you've seen it is a higher salary.

Hope it goes ok. This sort of thing is horrible

You should absolutely bring it up! You deserve at least what they're offering new staff!!

I agree though that don't mention the gender pay thing because he was not necessarily on that money and they may employ a female to fill the role.

Good luck with it :-)

Hi all, thank you for all the great replies! DP said about bringing up the gender gap, but they might take on a woman as the pp said so I will save that one! I know what the average pay rise has been over the last few years and it's averaged at around £500 so even taking that into account it's more than I would be on if I had been here three years.
There is a recruitment freeze on here so they must be offering what my colleague is on or they wouldn't be allowed to replace him.
I have worked really hard here, covered 4 people's jobs for a week due to sickness and holidays I haven't had a day off sick (though that is luck just as much as anything else) and the UK manager has thanked me more than once for my work and attitude. So I am a little hurt tbh. They will be expecting me to train the new person as the customers use the same hub, and that doesn't please me either!
At work now my manager is in so I will have to pluck up the courage to say something!

All you need to say is "I was surprised to see the job is advertised at a higher salary than mine. Why is that?"

I would ask if I could apply for it.

I wouldnt ask I would just apply.

Hi both very good ideas! I might use both of them thank you!