Male colleagues paid more

[miffed1]

We do exactly the same job, in fact, I have been doing it for over a year and am training these new male recruits to do my job.

I saw the job advert for the role and it was being advertised at 65% more than I am on. Once the new recruits had started, I asked if my pay had been considered for review and have since been told there is a "pay freeze". I have explained that I am not simply asking for a pay review, but to be paid the same as my male colleagues who do the same job.

Does anyone know what my rights are in this situation? Thanks in advance!

One of the guys they recruited has left (performance issues, probation period), they are now recruiting again, same advert, same salary.

Apply... 😁

Definitely apply!

If nothing else, this really opens up an excellent negotiation opportunity - they keep having to recruit, which adds hassle and expense. If you leave, they'll be recruiting TWO positions, and will have no one with experience in the role. Arguably right now you are in an excellent position to tell hem to pay up or you're out of there.

Don't buy any argument about historical pay etc. You train 2 men. They earn substantially more. Never mind where you started or that they are new. Current pay is all you should discuss with HR.
You are effectively applying for a demotion with higher pay. How can they justify this?

Thank you - you are right I am in a good position - but I am a crap negotiator. I think I just need to speak to HR, find out their stance and then bloody well resign if I get nowhere.

Please don't undervalue yourself companies are very keen to have people who work hard and learn quickly and those who do no reward their employees who do should be dumped - I wish good people would stop hanging around taking crap from bad employers - leave them an honest review on glassdoor on your way out!

Well, Carrie Gracie won her equal pay claim on the grounds that men recruited after she was, with similar experience, to do a similar role, were paid more. Her book Equal is excellent and I recommend it.

Those of you saying it's not discrimination are ignoring the fact that discrimination can be accidental - it's not necessarily something that's done deliberately or maliciously.

Thank you for the recommendation - I have just ordered it

Hopefully it will motivate me to actually do something about it this week. I keep dithering between consulting a solicitor and having "a chat" with HR to test the water. So far have ended up doing nothing

Your title is misleading as it suggests they are on more money because they are men, when that isn't the case; your employer advertised a job for more and happened to recruit men. But this does give you leverage as they have obviously upped the salary because they deem it worth more, and likely had trouble finding suitably experienced and qualified people to apply without raising it. You are in a really strong place to negotiate, I wouldn't pursue the man angle though personally.

Go for it! The same thing happened to me years ago. All the managers were on the same salary. I was recruited to help out as one of the men had an accident and wasn’t back full time. It turned out he’d been doing the job badly for a long time, and he was let go. I was hired full time as a manager....without the salary. I spoke up immediately and got the equal pay. You have to stand up for yourself.

Unfortunately, I did raise the issue of my salary with my boss but have been told there is a pay freeze, can't really negotiate with that. But they are still advertising the role at the higher rate. No attempt to recruit at a lower rate at all.

It's not that I think my colleague is paid more 'because' he is a man, just stating the fact that he is male and paid more. Which I know is wrong.

Still - maybe the next recruit will be a woman!

Thanks magicstar and well done for speaking up and getting the pay you deserve!

I did speak up immediately, they took 8 weeks to dither about it and then decline with the pay freeze line.

Advertising a role in a pay freeze?

Have you had your duties and new title updated 'officially? If not, can you apply for the job? Unfortunately some employers take advantage of someone's ambition to progress and don't always back up the increase in responsibilities with a reasonable pay increase in line with others at the same level.

I would apply for the higher paid role

Yes cinders, they must take me for a right fool!

Yes Slipperrr, job title changed, new manager, all official - just no matching pay

@miffed1

Yes cinders, they must take me for a right fool!

Yes Slipperrr, job title changed, new manager, all official - just no matching pay

Here’s what you say “do I have to leave this job to get a pay rise then?” Say it loudly and as often as appropriate. I have been in meetings where people only got pay rises/promotions if they were “a flight risk”- ie threatened to leave.

If you threaten to leave you aren't actually dealing with the issue. Don't risk them saying no. Tell them you should be paid more. Don't ask. And remember it should be paid retrospectively too. Do it in a very businesslike email so there is a paper trail.

I actually made a point of saying that all the male managers were paid more, and was there a reason for that? It puts the wind up them as they didn’t want any publicity etc. If I were you I’d certainly point it out.

The point about there being a pay freeze is largely irrelevant. If you all started a 'new' job at the same time but you are the only person, and female, who is paid less then there is an issue.

A company pay freeze shouldn't come into it.

Ring ACAS op for advice on how to challenge it.

Op how is it going? Did you apply for job

Not yet. Am on leave this week, going to use the time to update cv etc!

But what happens if you don't get the job? You haven't thought the consequences through. You should be paid more than the new recruits are you are training them. You're applying for a demotion with a pay rise. What happens if you are turned down? You will be very deflated and in a weaker position. Get a solicitor. Don't attempt to negotiate. Don't have a chat with HR. Show them you are taking action.

Have you only spoken to your line manager? Nothing in writing?

When I raised similar, verbally, I was told the chap (who worked for me, was a lower performer, lower grade, was less qualified... but paid more) had come from a higher paying area of the business and had obviously negotiated well in the past.

I then put it in writing to HR, asking for data on the whole team and enquiring about the legality. I did not get the info I asked for but I did get a £15k, backdated pay rise.