Salary

[Ceridwenn]

Could do with some advice on how you would approach this situation.

I work in the CS. A team of about 30. The team is new. Lots of external hires. Only around 4 are female. I am one of 4 Senior people. I am newish to CS ( < 2 years) so don't know how this works fully, but my salary, I believe is lower than the others at my level or those below because others were brought in on a higher starting salary than I at a later date. When I moved up a level, there was a set percentage for salary increase that didn't bring my salary in line with the others.

I assume part of the above is the way the CS works. But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth because I am one of few females who happens to be on a lower wage.

Any ideas on whether I can do anything?

I'd call ACAS helpline:

www.acas.org.uk/equal-pay/not-getting-equal-pay

and: www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/what-equal-pay

Thank you. This is useful.

I know the response is that I was brought in first. Then they hired people with an uplift to attract the right skills. And because I joined the CS it then comes with a rule that you can only get 10% salary uplift when you move up a level. But my salary still doesn't match those below me. I believe one of the others at my level is in a similar position to me as was hired at the start, but is male.

I'm pissed off with CS pay. When I started I was told there was no mechanism for starting on anything other than the bottom of the scale, which meant quite a cut for me. However, it was a scale. Now I find there is absolutely no mechanism for ever moving up the scale so I'm stuck at £200 a month less than I was on previously with no chance of any uplift. And there's a cost of living crisis.

And we're facing massive cuts to staffing numbers (thanks Rees Mogg you ) plus giving up some terms and conditions in return for possibly an measly extra 1% this year with no guarantee it will continue.

I'm told the only way to get paid more it so move jobs - no one seems to stay for longer than 18 months and in a lot of cases very much shorter than that. I think we can get 10% increase on moving?

It's shit. Sorry for rant. Unfortunately I don't think there's much you can do, but do try Acas linked to above.

I think I will call them and see what they say. It's pissing me off that all the men below me are on a higher wage and it is a sector where we struggle to recruit women.

one of the others at my level is in a similar position to me as was hired at the start, but is male.

That would suggest it's not sex discrimination. May still be worth talking to ACAS and/or your managers, though. Seems unfair that you're on less that those under you.

I mean, I'm not a lawyer! There is also 'indirect discrimination', which I expect is far more complex.

I’ve answered a very similar thread recently.

talk to your HR to confirm.

My understanding has always been internal promotees are not tested against the market so 10% uplift or min of the grade is correct.

If they advertise a role externally it is normally the min of the grade. If there are significant issues in recruiting, the role can be advertised with a higher starting salary. To get the higher salary existing CS have to apply and be successful and then can have the higher starting salary.

Apply for the external roles to get the salary increase. Be aware if you don’t meet the pass mark your salary would not change.

Let me guess…you’re a DD and your better paid staff are G6? If so, your position is a familiar one to many. SCS starting salaries are basically the Wild West.

If you have a male colleague in the same position as you, your HR dept will say it is not an equal pay issue (ie not sex discrimination).

Some things you could look at doing - get a copy of your Dept’s pay policy, find out if they have any flexibility to address pay anomalies (I believe that in the SCS a percentage of the pay bill can be allocated to that). Check whether the processes followed when recruiting your team were entirely transparent, consistent and fair. ie was the higher salary included in the job advert or was it negotiated during the recruitment process without that option being made clear to all candidates? Was that the same/ different in your process? Find out how much the recruitment process cost and how that compares to the pay gap you have got - would it be more expensive for them to run another process if you left than it would be to uplift your salary?

Start looking for other roles, and point out to them that with the cost of living crisis you need to maximise your pay, the higher salary being offered to staff junior to you has made clear that you are being undervalued by the organisation and could command a higher salary elsewhere.

Find out what the gender pay gap is in your organisation and how it changed after your appointment and then after your team’s appointment.

Be ready for them to say that this can be addressed via capability based pay when it is brought in. Think about how you would reply to that argument.

It's a G6 role. When I started as a G7 there was no uplift. They then advertised the same roles with an uplift and all the others pretty much got the uplift. About a 10k difference!

Thanks for the advise. I will read it through.

I'd have to move back into the private sector to take another role is the sector.