Underpaid brown woman worker 🙋🏽‍♀️ Wwyd

[Kowr]

I’m South Asian (British) and work in the media. I recently discovered a colleague 8 years my junior (and with less experience), but on the same grade (even with fewer responsibilities) earns 11 percent more than me. A long term freelancer meanwhile, also with the same grade, is on 55 percent more than me. The first example is a woman of a different ethnicity to me. The second is a white male.

In fact, I earn more or less than someone I manage who’s on a lower grade - a white male freelancer who recently got a 20 percent pay hike simply by asking (while other freelancers who are not white have long struggled to get).

What do I do? Please don’t say find another job, it’s a horribly difficult market and the commute is easy and the job works with my two kids.

Things I’ve already done - pointed this out to my boss. I’ve been promised a promotion, which hasn’t yet come. I’m losing my patience and it’s depressing me.

Have you tried asking yet? If not, then sounds like you should!

Yeah I have, and written formal emails to HR. Nothing much coming back. It’s been ongoing for months, if not years.

Here's a recent article if it helps.

Do fight it, a old female collegue recently won a fight to get paid equally to her male counterparts and encouraged those around her to do the same. I think employeers are realising they cannot avoid this anymore and should expect it to be challenged more.

metro.co.uk/2022/01/07/how-to-make-sure-youre-not-being-paid-less-than-your-white-colleagues-15880407/

metro.co.uk/2018/02/07/getting-paid-less-male-colleagues-can-7294623/

X-post. Have you laid out the case referring to the appropriate laws? Been clear you understand you are being underpaid (it is not unlawful to discuss salary)?

Ask?

then innocently comment on how you’ve noticed x white man and x white man make more than you, you’d really like to earn as much as them, so could your boss explain what you’d need to change / what the difference is between you and them - so that you can get there one day?

casually throw in a few phrases like equal pay for equal work

‘because I obviously wouldn’t want to be paid more without doing the same amount of work as them, equal pay for equal work right?’ ‘I had felt I was equal to them, but I can see my work isn’t valued as much as theirs and I’m trying to work out why’
and so on

or obviously threaten them, but if you’re in the media that may not go well

Union then?

I have let them know I’m underpaid compared to colleagues and it’s being reviewed by HR allegedly, but I haven’t mentioned the law yet..

@Shedcity thats a nice line of argument, I haven’t tried that. I wouldn’t want to be paid more if I were doing the same. Thank you

You make money by moving. It's normal for freelancers to be on more. If you went to market now what's the going rate, more than the junior I would imagine.

I've just moved roles and had a 44% increase, I stayed in my old role far too long (16 years)

What do you mean when you say the other people are freelancers?

As in, they’ve built up experience as freelancers and are now employed by the company?

Or are you referring to freelancers who are contracted into the company you work for, and invoice for their work?

@WafflyVersatileOohOoh theyre permanent freelancers, so stay with the company for years without a staff contract. I’ve been with the company for 10 years. I’m on 54, the white guy freelancer is on 85 or thereabouts. The other woman (8 years junior) is on 60.

Extra question, when they do finally promote me… the jump in salary should be huge. I want at least 80. How do I navigate this?

The tax man takes a dim view of permanent freelancers who only work for one company (IR35).

Yes, it's not exactly freelance is it! Presumably no paid leave or pension either?
Does your package (with leave and pension) add up to as much as their freelance pay?

@RagzRebooted no still works out to less. His full salary is 87k so I figure he takes a few weeks off and ends up on 84 ish.

i just don’t know how I’ve ended up being paid the same as someone I mentor and manage, who has so much less experience and ability than me. I know it’s unhealthy but it’s eating me up

Do you invoice the company, or are you paid through their payroll and given a payslip?

Have you spoken to your trade union? (If you have one) I hope you get it sorted

@WafflyVersatileOohOoh paye I get a payslip. And yes have talked to the union who says there are similar cases without resolutions yet. Union also planning to go on strike over general lack of pay increase.

Are you a freelancer or permanent member of staff?

Tell them that while a promotion would be lovely, what you actually want is to be paid the same as other people at the same level as you for doing the same job.

Forget the freelancers. They have to pay their own tax and national insurance, they get no holiday pay, sick pay or other entitlements, and cannot join an employee pension scheme. They have to make their own arrangements entirely. That's why freelancers earn more, so don't let that muddy the waters.

You can't compare with freelancers. They have no have no job security, can normally be terminated with little notice. It's a risk so they get compensated more. They often have to pay 20% corporation tax plus income tax too.