Gender Pay Gap

Gender Pay Gap Report 2023

Introduction
Associated Seafoods (ASL) is the parent company of Lossie Seafoods, Moray Seafoods and Loch Fyne Oysters. We operate within the food sector which has been facing significant challenges with skills and labour shortages due to a variety of factors.

We have been working tirelessly to overcome these challenges, and by continuous investment in our teams we have minimised the impact on both our business, and our people. We remain committed to promoting diversity and tackling inequalities by creating an environment in which both men and women can reach their full potential and career aspirations.

Our pay arrangements aim to reward staff contribution and performance fairly, considering economic and financial impact, organisational and individual performance, and the pay rates of similar roles in the wider economy.

Under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 all UK organisations with over 250 employees are now required to carry out annual Gender Pay Reporting. This report details our Company’s Gender Pay Gap, Bonus Pay Gap, the ratio of men to women in each pay quartile of the workforce and proportion of male and female employees receiving bonus pay. The report relates to the Snapshot Date of 5 April 2023.

Gender Pay Gap
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 (average) and median (mid-point) figure. Our business is an equal opportunities employer; however, it is important to recognise equal pay is a different term and defines the legal right for men and women to be paid the same for performing equal work. It is important to highlight that we are confident men and women are paid equally for performing equivalent job roles within the business.

Our mean gender pay gap for the Snapshot Date of 5April 2023 is 12.56%. This is a decrease from 13.18% in the previous year.

Our median gender pay gap is 5.47%. This is an increase from 4.6% in the previous year.

Ther are a variety of reasons contributing to the gender pay gap. We consider the main reasons for the gap being the overall gender composition of the workforce and high proportion of higher paying roles undertaken by men.

We have experienced difficulties in recruiting female employees to some roles, and at the same time we have experienced an increased proportion of part time working, primarily undertaken by female employees, in entry level roles.

Bonus Pay Gap
The mean bonus gender pay gap shows the difference between the mean (average) bonus pay of male and female employees in the relevant bonus period, as a percentage.
Our mean bonus gender pay gap is 3.5%.

The median bonus gender pay gap shows the difference between the median (mid-point) bonus pay of male and female employees in the relevant bonus period, as a percentage.
Our median bonus gender pay gap is 0%.

The median bonus pay for men and women was the same. A small gap in the mean bonus gender pay gap was caused by different types of bonuses, and the smaller proportion of men that were awarded ad-hoc recognition bonus.

The proportions of male and female employees receiving bonus pay show the proportions of male and female employees who received bonus pay during the relevant period.

83.63% of male employees and 90.10% of female employees received a bonus payment in the relevant period.

We have included in our calculation ad-hoc recognition awards, a higher proportion of women was recognised on an ad-hoc basis.

Pay Quartiles

The pay quartiles 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 and lower middle quartiles. Distribution of men and women within the business directly impacts on the mean (average) and median pay gap.
The ratio of male to female employees in each pay quartile, 2023

Next steps

This is the second year Lossie Seafoods has published a gender pay gap report. The pay gap has narrowed slightly from the previous year, and our results compare favourably within the manufacturing sector in Scotland (as per estimated ONS figures), we are committed to continuing our work building skills and encouraging more women into senior roles.

To further reduce the pay gap, we will undertake several actions, including reviewing pay and bonus procedures and practices to ensure they are applied fairly and equitably. We will monitor the outcomes of management decisions in relation to pay and bonus to ensure no gender, or other, bias is occurring. We have already engaged with local schools and colleges to help them develop a better understanding of employment opportunities within the organisation, including offering “taster” work experience placements.

We will monitor progress on a regular basis and report on this in future gender pay gap statements.

Declaration

We confirm that the information set out in this gender pay gap written statement is accurate as at the Snapshot Date of 5 April 2023

Barbara Lugowska

Group Head of HR