Being paid less

[spookylittlekitty]

I accidentally found out this afternoon that a colleague doing exactly the same job as me is paid about £500 a year more.

Colleague is male and about 9 years older than me. I have been doing the job 3 more years than him and have almost 2 levels of professional qualifications more than him.

When I asked my manager about it he said that he couldn't be expected to put the colleague on the same money as me and also I should make allowances for the fact that my colleague has two children.

Is it wrong to feel let down over this? My manager says that I have more future earning potential than my colleague but does that make things right?

Tell your manager, of course you don't expect colleague to be paid less, but you expect to be paid at least the same as your male less well-qualified colleague or it begins to appear discriminatory, and he wouldn't want that now would he?

Whether or not a person has children is utterly irrelevant to how much they are paid. I bet if the situations were reversed- ie you were a less senior, less well-qualified woman with the children, that you would be paid markedly less than £500 a year. What your manager said is discriminatory horseshit. Ask him outright for a raise. Point out where recently you have added value, etc... the usual guff and tell you want £xxx a year more.

Your manager is on VERY shaky ground here. Have a read of this. www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1811

Thank you both. I will speak to my other manager tomorrow as he is easier to talk to. If this doesn't work I will speak to HR I think.