Posted By Karen Todd Equal pay for work of equal value springs to mind... Salaries never seem to be on a level playing field even for 2 people of the same sex and anyone who plays this card will not be popular. The only way I have seen people be able to lever more money when it has been refused previously, is to say that they've been offered another job and hope that the company asks what it would take for them to stay. Some companies will make an offer, others will absolutely not. One company I used to work for started to, but people soon caught on and lots of people said they'd been offered another job (when they hadn't) just to get a few more grand. Regards, Karen

Posted By Alison Melrose I enjoy the job, it's just the salary I'm not too happy with. Just wanted to know what I'd be worth elsewhere so I can argue my case a whole lot better. Most salary calculators have H&S but not ergonomics and don't think the Erg Society would give me that information... Would be great to have something else but few ergonomic jobs up here in the frozen North and bills to pay.....

Posted By Sean Fraser Alison, I empathise with the pay differential problem, but I agree that it isn't always a case of sex discrimination as the whole company policy could be along the lines of "see what they'll take the job for and then just pay rises on that baseline" - so it might not have anything to do with your gender, just a poor policy being in effect! However, if you feel it is seriously detrimental to your pay and position, it can be challanged. But as others warned, you need to be sure of your case and willing to see it through to conclusion. As for money, it comes down to a choice - are you getting job satisfaction and can you achieve what you want to achieve both in and out of work on the pay you already recieve? If you are (or were) content with your lot, then comparison to others may be misrepresentative and even corrosive. Look to yourself to devlop and gorw - only if they don't support you or are trying to hold you back should you be considering a move. Don't overestimate the warm feeling of job satisfaction - it can be of much more value than mere cash. Move just for the money and you might just feel you've made a deal with the devil - and you might only find out when it is too late to go back. there is an old saying: "I wish I were what I was when I wished I were what I am"! If you *are* seeking to move outside your current locale, don't forget to take account of the cost of living in whatever area you are considering a move to - relative value is important and you can't judge it solely on the overall figure on offer. No point in doubling your salary if it costs three times as much just to live there! And for our English & Welsh cousins - it ain't frozen here right now, it's actually quite mild!

Posted By Alison Melrose Bit the bullet and spoke to my boss about it so he's going to look into it (he agreed with all the points I raised) so I'll just have to wait and see. As I said, I enjoy my job (most of the time!) and would like to stay up here in Scotland. I guess I'll just have to save some money and pay for my own training if I want to get anywhere - THEN I can set up in business and earn oodles of dosh (LOL)