Help With Employment Laws Please....

[scruffbag]

I am currently working as a teaching assistant with eighteen years experience under my belt. Another lady who started the job the same time as me and who is a qualified teacher, but is working as the same grade as myself, is on a lot more money than me.
We both do exactly the same job. The only difference is the rate of pay which she gets.
Is this legal?
Many thanks for listening!

[Maydup]

It doesn't sound right does it?

Equal pay for equal jobs is what we hope for regardless of the person or their gender, qualifications etc. If a teacher choses to work as an assistant rather than as a teacher then they should be paid the same as the other assistants.

Are your two jobs definitely exactly the same? Can you be 100% sure that her rate is what you think it is?

[newbie99]

Unfortunately company still get away with it. Some companies has a lower and upper band for each job grade. The band has a large overlapping scale. Some people earn more on the lower grade than a higher grade .

[ummmm]

She's qualified, you're not.

[piggynose]

making simple mistakes like "many thanks for listening " is proof enough why you're on less pay.

[EDDIE51]

Look here, each grade has several salary 'bands'
http://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Teaching_Assistant_(TA)/Salary
As a teaching assistant rather than a fully qualified teacher your salary band is very narrow.
A qualified teacher has a much wider salary band so they will rise up the scale the more years experience they have. A teaching assistant has a much narrower salary band so the number of years experience will have little or no effect on salary. After 13 years you are almost certainly on the maximum possible salary for a teaching assistant.
The only way you are going to get more pay is to become a fully qualified teacher. I think you can do this by having 20 years experience as an assistant.
Maydup, sorry you are wrong. if qualifications made no difference to salary there would be no point in going to University and getting a degree or studying for higher qualifications.

[EDDIE51]

Also scruffbag is not doing the same job as a teacher she is only a teaching assistant and, in theory at least, should be supervised by a fully qualified teacher.

[Prudie]

This is the way pay in the public sector has worked for years. It's quite legal.

[hc4361]

The point here is that the teacher is employed as a teaching assistant at the same grade as scruffbag.

[Prudie]

Yes but as qualified she would have started on a higher payscale and spinepoint in the first place. There may be good reasons she's working at a lower position and she'd have kept her grade.

[scruffbag]

This is a job in a private school

[Maydup]

Scruffbag - can you confirm that you are both working as Teaching Assistants?

[ToraToraTora]

yes it's legal happens all the time.

[Maydup]

If so you are entitled to equal pay.

If four people are employed to do the same job, lets say its cleaning cars, they should be paid the same regardless of whether or not one of them is a trained mechanic, or another is a qualified teacher. The only exception is age related minimum wage. If one is the supervisor, or another has special resposnibility for an element of the work for which they need a qualification, then the have a different job description and that is different.

[Prudie]

Even if we think it's morally right to be entitled that is just not the case. I know 5 people at work (massive private company) doing exactly the same with the same job title and their salaries vary by £30K. It's based on what they were already earning when they came into the role and what they've negotiated.

[Islay]

Actually 4 people can be employed to do the same job and paid at different rates if they perform better in the job than the others do.

[woofgang]

Pragmatic answer. Do you like your job? Is the environment happy?Do you want to keep your job and the happy environment? Would you have been happy with your salary if the other lady wasn’t being paid more? Because the likelihood is that you won’t get more pay but the other person may well get given different duties (or she may have them and you don’t know this or don’t understand it) that will justify the differing payscale AND the fact that you took action will be remembered.......

[scruffbag]

We are doing exactly the same job. The other lady has handed her notice in now. It does not seem fair! Is it legal then? I wouldn't take action! I just need to know. Thank you to everyone!

[Islay]

Yes its legal, for example I and a colleague do exactly the same job but my colleague has been deemed to do it better than me - they get a slightly better scale of pay.

[scruffbag]

I meant 'thanks for listening to me!'

[hc4361]

It is possible for both of you to be on the same pay scale but one gets enhancements for relevant qualifications. That is perfectly legal.
For example, a teaching assistant may get more if she is also a qualified first aider.