It sucks that there seems to be an awful lack of transparency in most companies – their job postings just mention a 'competitive salary' and they are more than ready to exploit those who are in need of a job.
I work in a social media agency and most people around constantly switch jobs every year or two to get a salary hike. For a variety of reasons I haven't been able to switch jobs and have been in the same organisation for 5+ years.
After a few recent conversations with some colleagues I have got the impression that those newly recruited (same designation as me) or those who have threatened to leave may have ended up getting a better pay package than me.
I haven't been able to confirm that, since that would involve me directly asking someone about their exact salary, which may be seen as inappropriate. Is there any other way one can get to know how much others at their level are earning, just to know if one is being undervalued and overexploited?