Food manufacturers and retailers have submitted their pay information to the Government, revealing that some are paying female staff less than male employees.
With just one month to go before the Government’s deadline requiring all companies with 250 or more staff to report gender pay gap figures, an array of food companies have reported their pay information, in mean and median averages, as well as gender bonus gaps.
The mean figure is the difference between the average of men and women’s pay, while the median figure is the difference between the midpoints in the ranges of men and women’s pay.
According to the data already submitted, Unilever UK and Charlie Bigham’s payments were more favourable to women, however, the majority of food manufacturers in the list paid women considerably less.
The hourly rate for women working at Unilever UK was 8.8% higher in mean terms and 1.3% higher in median terms, while in meal preparation company Charlie Bigham’s, the mean rate for women was 3% higher than men and 2% higher on the median rate.
On the other hand, Aldi paid its women employees 11.5% lower on mean rate and 4.8% lower on media rate, along with Asda whose payment to women staff was 12.5% lower on mean rate and 8.9% lower on median rate.
On the confectionery front, Mondelez UK, revealed its women’s hourly rate was 5.6% lower on mean rate and 8.3% lower on median rate than the men’s equivalent pay, while United Biscuits’ figures were 9.6% lower (mean) and 9.3% (median).
Looking at retailers, Ocado revealed its gender pay gap was more favourable towards women, paying female employees 1.4% higher on mean rate and 1.9% higher on median rate.
On the contrary, Marks & Spencer unveiled that the hourly mean rate it pays female staff is 12.3% lower and the median rate was 3.3% lower than men’s pay. A similar picture is painted at Tesco Stores, where women employees are paid 11.5% lower on mean rate than men and 8.4% lower on median rate.
Bakkavor Foods revealed that women’s hourly rate was 11% lower, mean, and 7.8% lower, median, than men’s, along with Tulip, at 11% lower (mean) and 8% lower (median).
In addition, at Premier Foods, the gender pay gap was at 10% lower for women, on a mean rate, and 12.2% on median rate, while at Marlow Foods, owner of Quorn, women’s payment was lower at 35.1% (mean) and 3.1% (median).
