Gender Pay Gap

Introduction

Associated Seafoods (ASL) is the parent organisation of two specialist seafood companies, Lossie Seafoods and Moray Seafoods. Our business has grown significantly over last 12 months and undoubtedly our diverse, committed, and highly skilled workforce made the growth not only possible but successful. People are our greatest asset and we are committed to equality, inclusion, and creating an environment in which both men and women can reach their full potential and career aspirations.

We are pleased to publish our first gender pay gap analysis required under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017. We believe our results compare favourably within the manufacturing sector, however we are committed to continuing our work building skills and encouraging more women into senior roles to further narrow the pay gap.

It is important to recognise the Gender Pay Gap is not the same as Equal Pay, and it exists in most organisations. Equal Pay means that men and women performing equal work should receive equal pay. Gender Pay Gap is the difference between men’s and women’s average hourly pay across an organisation, expressed as a percentage, and it is reported as a mean and median (mid-point) figure.

Gender Pay Gap exists due to a variety of complex reasons, some going back to educational choices - fewer women study science, technology, and engineering, leading to fewer women in higher paid specialist roles. Women are more likely to take time out from their careers to start a family or for carer responsibilities. Some sectors have a higher ratio of part-time roles e.g., health, retail, and social care, commonly resulting in a higher ratio of women in entry level roles.

Our 2022 Reported Figures

All UK organisations with over 250 employees are now required by law to carry out annual Gender Pay Reporting. The report details our Company’s Gender Pay Gap and the ratio of men to women in each pay quartile of the workforce at the Snapshot Date of 5 April 2022. No bonuses were paid in 2022.

Pay Quartiles

The pay quartiles below show the proportion of male and female employees in the upper hourly pay quarter, upper middle hourly pay quarter, lower middle hourly pay quarter and lower hourly pay quarter. The ratio of men is higher in an upper and upper middle quartile, with more women in the lower quartile. Distribution of men and women within the business directly impacts the mean (average) and median pay gap.

Mean and Median Pay Gap

Mean
The mean (average) gender pay gap 13.18 %

Median
Median gender pay gap 4.6 %

Next steps

2022 is the first year Lossie Seafoods is required to publish gender pay gap figures for, and YOY comparison will be included in next year’s reports. It is important to highlight that we are confident men and women are paid equally for performing equivalent job roles within the business.

Over the next 12 months we will continue to develop our workforce and support more women into senior roles. We will continue to review our policies and procedures regularly to support both men and women reach their full potential. We have launched a revised Performance and Development process which we believe will bring positive changes over time.

The gender pay gap report will be reviewed and published annually.

Declaration

ASL recognises the responsibility that we share with suppliers to operate ethically; promoting decent working conditions in our factories and supply chains is part of our strategy to act in a socially responsible manner. In pursuit of our aims, we require that all our suppliers comply with our Ethical Trading Policy, which is based on the Fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and national and international laws.

Angela Brunton

HR Director