Equal pay issue

[itsnotallrainbows]

Hi,
I have been with the company for 2 years 4 months.
Around July this year I had a disagreement with my employer and the workload was getting too much and I left the company for 6 weeks.
At that time I was earning £25,000 a year
I decided to return to them and they explained I would be on a probation period and my new salary would be £22,000
I accepted and moved on until .... We have had two new employees last week and after speaking to them it became apparent they are on £25,000 starting probation for 6 months?!
I don't see how this is fair or right?

Are they doing exactly the same job as you?

Do they have exactly the same experience as you?

Same job, but I have been kinda thrown straight back into it as it's the same job I left.
And experience wise...I am the longest standing employee there at the moment

I am actually doing more as they are training at the moment

There is no general entitlement to equal pay. "Fair" it may not be, but "right" it may be - legally speaking. Unless the difference is because of a discriminatory factor such as sex or race, then having different people in the same role on different pay is not illegal.

What did your manager say when you asked them about it?

They had the upper hand as soon as you we're coming back. It's basically them saying "ok, we'll have you back, but not on what you we're getting before".

In my previous role, I have done this. Someone quit after a tantrum and then realised they made a mistake, we took them back, but not on what they were originally earning, it was a £10k drop. They were started at the bottom of the range I could offer. Was up to them, they could take it or leave it.