A Hull business has been named as one of eight organisations nationally to fail to publish gender pay gap information.
SGS Packaging Europe has been flagged by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for breaching what is a legal requirement for companies employing more than 250 people. With a deadline of April 4 not met, warnings were then issued through April and May. A statutory compliance notice issued by the courts could now follow, and ultimately a fine, subject to investigation.
SGS is a £53.3 million turnover organisation, and a wholly owned subsidiary of a US firm, which recently underwent a transfer of ownership. It is headquartered at Brewery House in Silvester Street, with five operating sites in the UK, including Citadel Trading Park in the city.
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The company specialises in design-to-print brand solutions for fast-moving consumer goods, and manufactures flexographic printing plates in Hull for global distribution. It also sells software solutions that allow clients to manage the supply chain, which involves design, artwork and separation services to create packaging. Latest documents filed with Companies House show SGS employed 786 people going into 2022.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “The requirement to report data on the pay gap between men and women helps companies to understand and address pay inequality. Fairer workplaces attract staff, engage employees, and create productive work environments.
“We know that this pay gap information is the most impactful when it is used to drive action. That’s why we continue to recommend that the government introduces a requirement on eligible employers to produce detailed action plans setting out how they will close their pay gaps.
“As Britain’s equality regulator, we’re charged with enforcing the law. We’re writing to those who are yet to report this year and will take enforcement action where appropriate.”
Calls to SGS Packaging Europe for a response following publication of the list by the Equality and Human Rights Commission have gone unanswered., with the US parent company also approached with no response.
Under its corporate and social responsibility heading in its latest strategic report, SGS outlined how it is “committed to providing equal opportunities to all staff”. A total of 41 per cent of the headcount were female at the close of the reporting period, with the proportion growing over the past decade, having been at 35 per cent in 2010.
