Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest News

Schroders case reignites demands for equal pay audits

by Personnel Today 17 Apr 2001
by Personnel Today 17 Apr 2001

A tribunal ruling that a female City
analyst was discriminated against because she received a smaller bonus than her
male colleagues has intensified pressure on the Government to introduce
mandatory equal pay audits.

Julie Bower, a former
employee of Schroder Securities, now part of Schroder Salomon Smith Barney, was
paid a bonus of £25,000 in 1998, an amount the tribunal called “insultingly
low”.

The Equal Opportunities Commission,
which backed Bower’s case, claimed it sets a clear example of the need for
mandatory pay audits. The Government is advocating a voluntary approach.

Juris Grinbergs, a member of the
Equal Pay Task Force and HR director of Littlewoods, said, “It is a deeply
embarrassing and sensitive case that will act as a catalyst for organisations
to look at their own pay systems.

“This case proves that equal pay
reviews are something that employers should be doing.”

Schroder Securities did not monitor
its recruitment or pay levels to see whether discrimination occurred.

Last week’s tribunal verdict agreed
that Bower’s bonus did not reflect her performance and that it would have been
higher if she was a man. Male colleagues received bonuses of £200,000 and over.

Furthermore, she was falsely told
that she had the lowest score of any team leader, when she ranked 37th out of
68.

“It was hard to conceive a process
more lacking in transparency,” stated the tribunal.

Bower resigned after a deliberate
plan by her manager to drive her out, the tribunal claimed.

“The way in which Schroders dealt with
my complaints about the way I was being treated was completely unacceptable and
I hope no-one else has to go through the same sort of thing again,” said Bower.

A spokesman for Schroder Salomon
Smith Barney said the merged company had policies for hiring, promotion and
remuneration that fully reflect gender equality.

Both parties have six weeks to agree
compensation, before it goes to a hearing.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Personnel Today has taken a stand on
the need for mandatory equal pay audits. Our News Barometer survey showed that
76 per cent of HR professionals agree.

By
Richard Staines

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
French legal threat over M&S closures
next post
Clean hospitals will only come with in house staff

You may also like

Black workers face greatest risk from workplace surveillance

30 May 2025

Capita and PizzaExpress named for minimum wage underpayments

29 May 2025

Charlie Mayfield: HR needs more proactive approach to...

29 May 2025

Warning issued over loss of ‘frictionless’ business travel...

29 May 2025

Streeting appeals to resident doctors to vote against...

29 May 2025

Unfairly dismissed TUC workers awarded £100k

29 May 2025

Recruitment outlook improves, despite employment law fears

29 May 2025

Missing mug leads to failed race discrimination claim

29 May 2025

HMRC releases research on removing salary sacrifice tax...

28 May 2025

Call-handler sues Met Police over reinstatement of offensive...

28 May 2025

  • Preparing for a new era of workforce planning (webinar) WEBINAR | Employers now face...Read more
  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+