Rates Of Pay Whilst Working At Home

[Ric.ror]

I’ve not been furloughed but am working from home. I have absolutely no work to do - imagine I work at a swimming pool (not really but it will suffice for this question). I have been asked to work for another dept. Still from home inputting on a s/sheer. Another colleague from a different dept has also been asked to do this - the difference is she is paid twice what I am! Should I ask if we are going to be paid at the same rate? We work for a local authority

[bednobs]

you can ask but you won't get it.
there is no compulsion for your employer to pay you both the same

[AuntPollyGrey]

How do you know your colleague is getting paid twice what you are? Did she tell you? Is she doing the same job as you are? Is she on the same pay scale as you? Too many unanswered questions to form an objective opinion.

[bednobs]

I don't think any of that matters. Employers can pay what they like to who they like as long as it meets the minimum wage (or they are not paying black people less because they are black)

[AuntPollyGrey]

Many companies have a pay scale which would not allow two people on the same scale to earn 100% more than the other person. Being paid 'twice as much' for doing the same job is ridiculous.

[MartinMillar]

You can have 2 colleagues doing the same job but paid differently because their skill set is different or because they have worked there longer

[bednobs]

may be ridic, but perfectly legal.
My question would be whether ric wants to pay all the money back she's been being paid for doing nothing. Also, does she get more that a data inputter would for doing her substantive role, if so, would she be willing to take a pay cut to a data inputter level while she's doing that

[fiction-factory]

Are you being paid at your normal rate (the one you get for your old job)? Is that more or less than an inputter would normally get? And does your colleague normally earn twice what you earn? If all the answers are yes, then it looks as if the employer has moved people across at their normal rate to a different role in order you utilise spare resources, which seems fair

[MWG14]

You've got a job and you're being paid. Just be thankful for that.

[THECORBYLOON]

They are being paid at the rate for their normal duties, not for what they are being asked to do now.

It is up to the employer how to make best use of their employees.

If their normal duties are not possible, employees can be asked to carry out other tasks as long as they are reasonable, taking into account the employees' circumstances.

[AuntPollyGrey]

Good Point -if people, in an emergency, are willing to muck in at the 'dirty end' so to speak to keep the company going then they should do so at their current pay rate.

[youngmafbog]

Probably not the time for rocking the boat.

Finding work is not easy at the moment - believe me.

[THECORBYLOON]

If both of yous had been furloughed, both would have been doing the same thing, nothing at all, yet one would have received twice as much as the other.

Would you have complained about that?

[Ric.ror]

You are all absolutely right
I’m just having a gripe as the other person is now doing EXACTLY my former job for twice the money
Just a moan really - ignore me

[bednobs]

sorry, I thought you would both be doing a new role temporarily, I must have misunderstood. If they are doing your former role, why don't you have anything to do?
PS its perfectly ok to moan :)

[AuntPollyGrey]

Rickror if your senior manager decided to help out 'with the troops' because of covid or members off sick would you expect him/her to dock his wages down to the level of the office staff? If a head teacher had a similar problem and had to teach for a couple of weeks because of staff shortages would you expect him/her to take a cut in pay?
Also I echo bednobs question -if you have nothing to do how come someone is getting paid 'double' to do your former job? Does not make sense!

[fiction-factory]

Ooo, Perth. You will almost certainly remember Fiction Factory then!

[fiction-factory]

Weird- I was on a different thread. Ignore me!

[fiction-factory]

I thought I understood this thread but the later posts (excluding my erroneous one) have confused me

[Ric.ror]

You had to be there

Cheers me dears