Work advice - colleague gets paid more than me

Yes definitely discuss with your line manager or HR. They should be extremely happy to know you and other members of staff have been discussing confidential salary matters at a mid-senior role.

On a serious note though, you remuneration is based on what you can negotiate or what the company sees your worth. Stating what market rates and other members are earning shows that you are unhappy with the current arrangement and may seek to move on, therefor companies will not go out on a limb for someone unless they have something substantial to bring to the table or offer.

Are you having a salary discussion before contract signing or just being given contract to sign?

Your colleague may have identical experience, job title and CV but seems like they have better negotiation skills.

You say she is there a year more than you so maybe the starting salary was the same but she had a salary review ?

Id ask for a salary review meeting and try to negotiate a better pay packet

In my experience the easiest way unfortunately is to get a job offer from another company with a higher salary. Your colleagues, even if they're doing the same job, will always behave subtle differences (including but not limited to good fortune) which will get them higher salaries. HR will never talk to you about someone else's setup.

Most efficient way I think is to get yourself valued by another company, and bring it to your current company. If it doesn't work out, you could always just move company.

Could have been a leverage situation … the colleague was the only suitable candidate or head and shoulders above the competition so they had bargaining leverage and used it.

It's pretty simple OP:

You have a set of skills that you're trying to get paid as much as possible for.

The company is looking to employ someone with a particular set of skills for as little money as possible.

So you shouldn't feel bad or awkward about renegotiating your salary if you feel that your skills are worth more than you're being paid. It's just business.

I agree they shouldn't mention it explicitly but of course it is a factor. Unless you are some kind of irreplaceable specialist whose job no else can do you are ultimately in a fungible role and what Mary is getting is what they are willing to pay for that role.

OP - You'll find that's normal enough in most companies in the private sector.

Exprience, qualifications, length of service all factor in wages varying between employees in the same organisation.

Alot of news recently about how wage gaps even differ between male & female too.

Learn to negotiate and negotiate everything. Next time you book into a hotel, ask for an upgrade. Negotiate give/gets in the workplace - if I do this for you, can you help me out with that. Read "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss. Take a negotiation course. Too many people lack this skillset and it is literally life-changing.

New contract, new opportunity to negotiate. "I'll be happy to accept this position on the condition I receive a salary increase in line with the value I bring to the organisation" Ask for 20 percent, you might land at 5-10% if it goes well. Build leverage - interview elsewhere, push to get offers, see what the market offers you.

I got asked to pivot positions at work recently, after 6 months in the company, I said yes if you pay me to reflect the value this new position plays to the company's growth. Base salary doesn't cut it, I can make twice that elsewhere. I got a 25% raise.

Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.

How do you know that they are telling the truth? (Not that I’m saying they are not) But if going to a salary discussion immediately after accepting offer (which I wouldn’t recommend)

she also could have her partners tax credits, or additional weekend work, or been there longer. If you are happy with your salary then no issue. If you’re not then you have two options negotiate an increase or bide your time, get a new job and leave.

Really? Seems to work very well in Norway. All salaries are public knowledge and they are paid well. Again its only in the employers interest to keep salaries unknown.

I do not want anyone knowing my personal information.

What are you on about?

What I'd like to know is can a company take disciplinary action against employees if they discuss and show their salaries to each other. Most companies have this threat in their procedures, but are they legal/lawful?

Only saw your post now. Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to prevent employees from having discussions with other employees to establish if there are differences in pay. However, an employer can require its employees to keep pay rates confidential from people outside of the workplace.

In summary OP what anyone else is getting paid is neither here nor there. You go in and make a case for what you should be getting paid based on what your worth to the company is or what your equivalent would get paid elsewhere.

generally you get nothing if you don’t ask so make sure to ask.