East police district accused of discrimination – news Østfold – Local news, TV and radio

The case in summary: A female police lawyer was discriminated against when the Eastern Police District increased the salary of her male colleague when she complained about the salary difference between them. The HR director in the East police district denied discrimination based on gender. The woman believes that the employer does not take her case seriously and criticizes the HR director’s statements. The HR director says the employer has apologized to the employee concerned, and that they will use the decision for learning purposes. The women’s union, Politijuristene, is asking for greater legal expertise to avoid similar cases in the future. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s ​​journalists before publication. – It appears that she does not realize that I was actually subjected to discrimination, says the policewoman. Last week, news was able to report that the Eastern Police District had been dropped by the Discrimination Committee due to the differential treatment of two police lawyers. A man and a woman applied for, and got, two identical police lawyer positions. But the woman received NOK 25,000 less in salary than the male applicant, despite the fact that they were supposed to do the same job. The woman received the same salary as her male colleague when she complained, but the police increased the man’s salary at the same time. Eastern police district has offices in Lillestrøm, Ski and Sarpsborg, among others. Photo: Vilde Elgaaen / news HR director in East police district Britt Stine Strand did not want to be interviewed in the case. But she gave a short written comment: – It is clear that we should have put forward to a greater extent which assessments were the basis for salary offers and salary determinations. We do not discriminate based on gender, Strand wrote in an e-mail to news. The female police lawyer did not want to comment on the previous case. But now she takes the blade from her mouth. – It is frightening that the learning point is not “equal pay for equal work”, but “argue better for differences”, says the woman to news. The police: Taking the case seriously The decision against the East police district was the first time in two years that the Discrimination Board has determined that a person is treated differently with different pay because of gender. The woman believes that it is only her own managers who have acted correctly with an early apology. – I experience the answer to the HR director as if the decision from the tribunal is wrong, and that I have unfairly won or won on the wrong premise, she says today. news has sent a number of questions to HR director Britt Stine Strand. She does not want to be interviewed this time either, but has sent a written reply by e-mail. HR director in East police district, Britt Stine Strand. Photo: East police district – As an employer, we have apologized to the affected employee both in writing and verbally, and as the chief person responsible for the HR function, I of course apologize for what has happened on behalf of the police district, writes Strand. She emphasizes that they take the case of the discriminated against woman seriously. – We will use the decision for learning purposes and emphasize the importance of good and orderly assessments in our dialogue with managers who set salaries. – The statement cannot go unanswered The decision from the Discrimination Board was unanimous. The two lawyers, both the man and the woman, both worked in the police when they got their new positions. – She has significantly longer work experience as a lawyer and she also has clearly longer work experience as a prosecuting attorney than the male candidate, the decision states. The Discrimination Board clearly states that the woman has not been consulted by the Eastern Police District. – During the assessment, the tribunal has, among other things, emphasized the employer’s unwillingness to accommodate A in the process regarding the salary offer, and the not very specific justification that was given for paying two people of different genders differently, it says. The women’s union, Politijuristene, hopes the case will lead to higher competence in the field. – It is important that this is not repeated, neither in this police district nor in other police districts. You have to give such cases greater legal attention than you have done before, says leader Marianne Bjørseth.



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