This would be funny if it wasn't making me want to do murder...

I'm very angry right now.

I work at a company that has always paid their workers a heck of a lot less than their are worth. People who've worked for years only graduate level pay after a few years.

Well, I just got what would be considered an okay pay rise, to a somewhat decent level. A level more in line with the computing industry, for junior roles with some experience. Fine, I was happy with that. It was a good start.

I've been working there for three years. And am the best at my position - HTML programmer - as the only other HTML girl is new. She doesn't have my experience, so it's natural that she's not as good as me.

But this isn't about her. I'm the best at what I do in the office. There is only two of us - without me here, the company would fall flat on its face. Why? Because EVERYTHING we do is HTML-based. The database people need front end HTML for their programs. The clients want normal web pages need HTML. Everything is HTML here, and I'd say that over half of the HTML work comes to me to do. (The other girl is stuck on one particular project, so I'm it for everything else.) I even have to work overtime (unpaid, of course) to finish some of it.

Anyway, I was okay with the pay rise. That was until just a little while ago.

My boyfriend, who also works at the company, just got a pay rise, too.

He does graphics - cutting up images, sometimes doing the design that I work from to make the web pages or front end templates.

He's been here for one year. There are three graphics people. He isn't the head graphics person, either. He does Flash and some designs and cuts up images. He doesn't tend to do much overtime, though - graphics don't ever have to, really.

Fair enough - everyone here deserves a pay rise.

I got angry when we compared notes, about each others pay. We'd compared notes on our pay a while ago, and he was *almost* getting as much as me, after his first pay rise as I was after two years.

But after THIS pay rise for both of us....

He's getting paid a heck of a lot more than me!

I'm very, very, very angry at this. All of my work here is not appreciated. I'm being screwed here, still. Despite being given a pay rise.

Just when I thought that things might be getting better at this place... they pull the rug from under me (obviously hoping that my boyfriend and I don't talk about our pay) and show me that this place is always what it has been - treating me like crap.

But what can I do? I can't confront them - they might take it out on my boyfriend. All I can do is find another job. A job where my skills and over time and work is appreciated.

No wonder my boyfriend likes it here, and I feel I'm being treated like dirt here... because, after all, it's actually true.

You know what? They're also expecting me to train a new person, on top of this! Ha.

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© Caroline Seawright 2000