GENDER PAY GAP LAID BARE

BIG CITY COMPANIES REVEAL DIFFERENCE IN WAGES BETWEEN SEXES

The stark contrast in wages between men and women working at some of Wearside’s biggest organisations has been laid bare with the publication of the gender pay gap.

Sunderland-based-companies with more than 250 employees on their books have revealed the difference in pay between men and women.

The average median pay gap for companies based in Sunderland was 8.7%, which compares to a national average of 12%.

The company with the highest median pay gap between male and female members of staff was a subsidiary of Sunderland-based Arriva, Arriva Rail London Limited with a 44% disparity.

This means that women working for the company earn 56p for every £1 that men earn.

At the other end of the scale, car giant Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited pays women 15.1% more than men.

Sunderland University also featured high on the list, with a gap of 20.9% in pay between men and women. Sunderland AFC has a gap of 15.8%, and housing provider Gentoo, recorded a gap of 14.6%. Sunderland City Council, one of the city’s biggest employers, at present has a pay divide of 13.5%. A spokesman for Arriva said this was due to men taking up most of the highest paid positions within the company. “There is a gender imbalance within our total workforce, particularly across our senior population, where men make up the majority of those in the highest paid and most senior positions,” he said.

“This is the main reason behind the gender pay gap and is reflective of the transport industry as a whole which has, over the decades, struggled to attract women.

“At Arriva men and women have equal access and opportunities to, and pay for, the same roles. But we need to do more to attract greater numbers of women and other under-represented groups into our businesses.”

The Chiltern Railway Company, which has a gap of 31%, XC Trains Limited ,which has a divide of 29%, and Yorkshire Tiger Limited, which has a 1% gap, all come under the Arriva umbrella.

A spokesman for the university said the figures were affected by “groups of parttime roles”.

“We were one of the first universities to introduce an Equal Pay Policy and have been reporting our pay structure since 2003,” he said.

“We also publish annual Equality, Diversity and Social Responsibility reports.

“Our median pay gap, which compares the rate of pay of the middle man and middle woman in the pay structure, is affected by our groups of part-time roles.

“Since we began reporting in 2003 we have seen a strong and consistent reduction in our pay gap, which continues in our latest average (mean) pay gap of 12%.

“This is significantly better than the national position and reflects the positive representation of women at all levels in our pay structure.”

Louise Bassett, executive director corporate services at Gentoo, said: “Based on our analysis we are confident that men and women are paid fairly for equivalent roles within Gentoo.

“The quartile results highlight that we employ a higher proportion of males than females in the in the upper and upper mid quartiles.

“We are committed to reducing our gender pay gap and we will continue to support the progression of females to senior roles within our organisation.”