RBS COUGHS UP £150k TO WOMAN IN SEXISM ROW

A FEMALE banker has won £150,000 from Royal Bank of Scotland following claims she was paid less due to her gender.

Lucy Williams took legal action against the Natwest owner after discovering that a male counterpart doing the exact same job as her was earning £31,610 a year more.

Trade union Unite, which supported Williams’ claim, said her settlement with the bank could pave the way for a wave of other sexism cases.

Williams, who worked on technology at RBS’s investment bank Natwest Markets in the City, said: ‘You realise something is wrong when you learn that your male colleague is the sole breadwinner in his family, supporting his stay-at-home wife and three children.

‘On my salary at the time, I would never have been able to do that.

‘It became increasingly apparent that we were on vastly different pay and benefits packages.’

Williams raised an official grievance two years ago and was made redundant five months later, Unite said. The bank initially offered to settle if she signed a gagging deal, but she refused, according to the union.

RBS eventually backed down three days before an employment tribunal and paid up, but left her free to speak out.

Williams claimed the bank has a sexist culture. She said: ‘My experience of working in Natwest Markets is that, if you want to succeed as a woman, you have to either give up or cover up the traditional responsibilities of a woman.

‘You’re not taken seriously if you’re not ruthless or if you have childcare responsibilities and need to maintain a good worklife balance.

‘Women aren’t supported – even by other women who collude in this unhealthy culture of discrimination.’

RBS settled without a legal finding that they had discriminated against Williams. The bank said that the difference in pay between her and her colleague had nothing to do with her sex.

A spokesman said: ‘We take a fair and inclusive approach to setting pay and career progression and do not pay our colleagues differently for doing the same job because of their gender.

‘In this particular case, although we don’t agree with everything Ms Williams says and we don’t agree that any difference in pay was due to Ms Williams’ gender, we don’t think we got things right in certain areas and therefore have agreed a settlement to resolve the matter.’