Pay Discrimination

[EllaD26]

Hi,

I've returned to work from my maternity leave to find that my two male colleagues have both had a £2k payrise. One of them is senior to me & the other junior.

There was a £4k gap between the Jr & me, and that's because I'm qualified & the Jr is still studying.

I've returned to work, the Jr is still studying. The pay gap between me & him is now £2k.

Can I take this up with my employer? If yes, what should I say? (I don't get on with my line manager)

Please help.

Thanks

Ask for a pay rise? What's the worst that can happen.

Compare salaries for similar roles in other organisations, do you think you deserve a pay rise? If so then talk to your manager about you, your qualities, your work ethic, your experience, etc. Basically what you bring to the party. Mention what similar roles are paying elswhere (If they are paying more obviously) and so you think you deserve a pay rise.

I wouldn't necessarily mention your colleagues pay, it sounds a bit like "they got it so I want it too" without any other reasoning.
In my experience talking about yourself and what you bring is far more productive in pay negotiations.

Thank you x

Hi

Do you have an hr department if so see them first. In any case refer them to the equality act 2010 and remind them that maternity is a protected characteristic under the 2010 equalities act, and why you were not given the same pay increase. Ask for this increase to backdated to the beginning of your maternity pay period, and to recalculate you maternity pay, both statutory and occupational if any. Refer them to the Alabaster case If they look at you bemusedly. You if you have no joy refer this to acas.

Speak to acas before you do anything, but as auld says they're on shaky ground with this.

Thanks guys. I'll look up at acas.

You have been on maternity, so not actually there. How can you expect a pay rise when you haven't been working.

You have been on maternity, so not actually there. How can you expect a pay rise when you haven't been working

Not relevant. Thankfully the law says that maternity leave should not have a detrimental impact on terms and conditions.

However, I wouldn't accept Auld 's advice. If it was an across the board increase, then it would hold. I don't see £2k being given to everyone in a department or company. It's more likely to be a discretionary increase. I'd suggest taking Kamelo's path first and if you feel it is discrimination, you can then look to escalate.

You can talk it through with acas before doing anything. I wouldn't dive in without proper advice first.

In a previous role a female colleague and I discovered that a male peer was being paid more than us. We took it to our line manager who after some cavilling about "market rates" (colleague had joined more recently) agreed that our pay should be brought to the same level. I went on maternity leave, my female colleague was given the increase and I wasn't. I spoke to my employer who refused to budge. It really rankled. I kept my powder dry, went back to work. After six months I approached my line manager again, said that I had continued to demonstrate my worth and that I wanted them to revisit the previously discussed pay rise. They paid it. So I did suffer a detriment from my maternity, I wasn't in a union and just felt my way through it.
I'm not suggesting you take this approach but wanted to share my experience.