South Tyneside College slams gender pay gap report after figures show it as having highest '˜perceived disparity' in borough

Companies across South Tyneside with more than 250 employees have been revealing information on pay differences between their male and female employees.
South Tyneside CollegeSouth Tyneside College
South Tyneside College

Businesses had until midnight on Wednesday to register details on a government website - or March 30 for the public sector.

The information aims to make public the pay gap between genders employed in various companies.

South Tyneside CollegeSouth Tyneside College
South Tyneside College
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The organisation with the highest median pay gap between male and female members of staff in South Tyneside was South Tyneside College - with an average disparity of 32.4%.

The figure for South Tyneside Council was 20.9%

At the other end of the scale, South Tyneside Homes Limited had a zero per cent difference. while J Barbour and Sons Ltd was three per cent.

South Tyneside CollegeSouth Tyneside College
South Tyneside College

The average median pay gap for companies based in South Shields was 18.8 per cent - which compares to a national average of 12 per cent.

A South Tyneside College spokesman said; “The Gender Pay report is not an accurate reflection of college pay scales, rather a crudely calculated average overview. There is no disparity in equality of pay in the college.

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“There is a recognised lack of women working in the marine sector and, as we recruit our marine staff from this sector, this explains the perceived gender pay disparity.

“As a college we are actively working to attract females to what is recognised as a male dominated area.”

Coun Ed Malcolm, lead Member for innovation and resources at South Tyneside Council, said: “The council is an equal pay employer. The gender pay gap data highlights the difference between the average pay of men and women. It is not a measure of equal pay.

“Part time workers make up 55% of the council’s workforce and women form the majority of those workers.”

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Managing director at J Barbour & Sons Ltd Steve Buck said: “Barbour is confident that our employees are paid equally for equivalent jobs and we will continue to strive to ensure fairness and consistency when rewarding our employees. There is no gender bias in any of our recruitment processes and all recruitment opportunities are offered openly to both men and women.

“We acknowledge that we currently have fewer women in senior management roles than in other areas of the company which we are addressing.

“We are confident that with the positive actions we are taking, we will see, over time, a growing female representation in our more senior roles within the business.”