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.

As others have said, take the freelancers out of the equation.

I got (hopefully, not seen any paperwork yet, but I do trust them) a 20% payrise last month, because I went for an interview. I didn't get the other job, but got offered the payrise the day before the interview! I think you have tried with this place, so need to accept the current pay, and possibly get a rise if your requests work through the system, or be prepared to go elsewhere.

@KarrotKake thats great to hear, and congrats!

Yes, plus VAT as well if they earn over the threshold.

Even so it does sound like the OP is underpaid if she's on the same as her junior. OP needs to find out what a realistic salary is before she asks for a specific amount.

You need to gather evidence and lodge a grievance. Currently equal pay only relates to sex, so use the male freelancer as your comparator and the other two as a) a second male b) race discrimination.

You will need job descriptions and to quote the rates they are earning.

Lodging a grievance makes it formal and they have to investigate and respond. Contact ACAS and your TU to help you.