NDA Group: gender pay gap report, 2017
Published 21 March 2018
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1. Foreword: David Peattie, Chief Executive
As Chief Executive, I want to share my views on our gender pay gap not only in the NDA Corporate Centre, but also across all our businesses.
Being open and transparent in reporting our figures is extremely important to me. The figures, however stark and uncomfortable they make us feel, help to shine a light on the areas where we need to improve. This is why I have taken the decision to publish our Corporate Centre figures despite it having fewer than 250 employees which marks the threshold for us to statutorily report.
Across the whole of the NDA Group we have varying degrees of gender pay gaps that range from 12 to 40%.
The gaps are due to a number of factors, including the uneven distribution of men and women across the pay grades, with a far greater proportion of men in the higher grades. The causes of this are broad and find their roots in the complex history of our industry.
Our businesses are diverse in terms of geographical location and programmes of work, which means that many of the challenges each one faces are unique. It is these challenges that we are working to understand and overcome as part of our firm commitment to closing the gap.
While we are early in our journey, we are working hard and recognise our leadership role in improving what the NDA Group and wider nuclear decommissioning sector offer. To successfully deliver our mission we need a workforce that feels respected and a culture where diversity of background and thought is encouraged.
Since I took over as Chief Executive one year ago, we have launched a suite of change activities which have significantly increased our drive towards equality, diversity, and inclusion across the NDA Group. Addressing the gender pay gap is a key part of this wider programme of work.
David Peattie, NDA Chief Executive
2. Introduction: what is the Gender Pay Gap?
Under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information Regulations 2017), employers with 250 or more employees must publish information annually showing the pay gap between their male and female employees.
The NDA, as part of its commitment to openness and transparency, has gone beyond these requirements by publishing the data for all 8 business units, including those which fall outside the threshold for reporting.
This report does not relate to ‘equal pay’, which is people in an organisation being paid the same for doing the same work, or work of equal value.
3. The data: NDA and its businesses
This report includes the data for NDA and its 7 business units:
- Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
- Sellafield Limited
- Magnox Limited
- Dounreay Site Restoration Limited
- Low Level Waste Repository Limited
- International Nuclear Services Limited
- Direct Rail Services Limited
- Radioactive Waste Management Limited
4. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
The NDA is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The NDA sets the strategy for 17 of the UK’s civil nuclear sites employing over 16,000 people, manages the contract to operate the businesses and specialist subsidiaries within the NDA Group and provides performance assurance across the estate, ensuring value is delivered for the taxpayer.
The NDA has 5 offices across the UK, with its headquarters in Cumbria, and is accountable for annual expenditure of approximately £3 billion.
4.1 NDA gender pay gap
The gender pay gap for NDA is a mean gap of 40.7% and a median gap of 38.5%.
Mean pay gap 40.7%
Median pay gap 38.5%
4.2 NDA gender bonus gap
The gender bonus gap for NDA is a mean gap of 50% and a median gap of 54.2%.
Mean bonus gap 50%
Median bonus gap 54.2%
4.3 Pay by quartiles
The proportions of male and female NDA employees in each pay quartile
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 84.9% | 15.1% |
| Lower middle quartile | 43.4% | 56.6% |
| Upper middle quartile | 15.1% | 84.9% |
| Upper quartile | 24.5% | 75.5% |
5. Sellafield Ltd
Sellafield Ltd has always been at the forefront of the UK’s nuclear industry, from the production of plutonium for the country’s nuclear deterrent programme through to the development of nuclear power generation. Today, the Sellafield site is faced with the challenge of cleaning up the legacy of its early operations, including some of the most hazardous nuclear facilities in Europe.
Covering six square kilometres in west Cumbria, the site is home to more than 200 nuclear facilities and the largest inventory of untreated nuclear waste in the world. Sellafield Ltd employs approximately 11,000 people who, along with their supply chain partners, are tackling a diverse portfolio of decommissioning, reprocessing, spent fuel management, nuclear waste management and nuclear material management.
5.1 Sellafield Ltd gender pay gap
The gender pay gap for Sellafield Ltd is a mean gap of 14% and a median gap of 12%.
Mean pay gap 14%
Median pay gap 12%
5.2 Sellafield Ltd gender bonus gap
The gender bonus gap for NDA is a mean gap of 14.6% and a median gap of 0%.
Mean bonus gap 14.6%
Median bonus gap 0%
5.3 Pay by quartiles
The proportions of male and female Sellafield Ltd employees in each pay quartile
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 45% | 55% |
| Lower middle quartile | 25% | 75% |
| Upper middle quartile | 17% | 83% |
| Upper quartile | 14% | 86% |
6. Magnox Ltd
Magnox Ltd, owned by Cavendish Fluor Partnership, is the management and operations contractor responsible for 12 nuclear sites and 1 hydroelectric plant in the UK.
Under contract to the site owner, the NDA, Magnox Ltd is responsible for electricity generation at Maentwrog, defuelling at Wylfa, and the decommissioning of Berkeley, Bradwell, Chapelcross, Dungeness A, Harwell, Hinkley Point A, Hunterston A, Oldbury, Sizewell A, Trawsfynydd and Winfrith.
Work across the Magnox sites is as diverse as it is challenging, ranging from defueling at Wylfa to the introduction of innovative techniques to accelerate decommissioning and clean-up at Bradwell.
6.1 Magnox Ltd gender pay gap
The gender pay gap for Magnox Ltd is a mean gap of 12.7% and a median gap of 13.7%.
Mean pay gap 12.7%
Median pay gap 13.7%
6.2 Magnox Ltd gender bonus gap
The gender bonus gap for Magnox Ltd is a mean gap of 6.7% and a median gap of 1.4%.
Mean bonus gap 6.7%
Median bonus gap 1.4%
6.3 Pay by quartiles
The proportions of male and female Magnox Ltd employees in each pay quartile
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 34.1% | 65.9% |
| Lower middle quartile | 24.9% | 75.1% |
| Upper middle quartile | 17.5% | 82.5% |
| Upper quartile | 15% | 85% |
7. Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL)
DSRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cavendish Dounreay Partnership Ltd, a consortium of Cavendish Nuclear, CH2M and AECOM. It is funded by the NDA to deliver the site closure programme at Dounreay, in Caithness Scotland.
Today, Dounreay is a site of construction, demolition and waste management, all of it designed to return the site to an interim end state. The experimental nature of many of its redundant facilities means the clean-up and demolition requires innovation as well as great care.
Site closure involves cleaning out and demolishing redundant nuclear and non-nuclear facilities, segregating and packaging the radioactive and non-radioactive wastes for long-term storage or disposal, removing nuclear fuels that can be used again elsewhere and leaving the site and its environment in a condition that is safe for future generations.
7.1 DSRL gender pay gap
The gender pay gap for DSRL is a mean gap of 12.34% and a median gap of 10.29%.
Mean pay gap 12.34%
Median pay gap 10.29%
7.2 DSRL gender bonus gap
The gender bonus gap for DSRL is a mean gap of 21.35% and a median gap of 7.14%.
Mean bonus gap 21.35%
Median bonus gap 7.14%
7.3 Pay by quartiles
The proportions of male and female DSRL employees in each pay quartile
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 36.2% | 63.8% |
| Lower middle quartile | 32.8% | 67.2% |
| Upper middle quartile | 30.4% | 69.6% |
| Upper quartile | 15.3% | 84.7% |
8. Low Level Waste Repository Limited (LLWR)
LLW Repository Ltd is a waste management company that provides services to customers for the treatment and disposal of low level radioactive waste.
It manages the national Low Level Waste Repository in west Cumbria on behalf of the NDA and oversees a National LLW Programme to ensure that lower activity waste is managed effectively across the UK.
International consortium UK Nuclear Waste Management won the 17-year contract to act as Parent Body Organisation in 2008.
8.1 LLWR gender pay gap
The gender pay gap for LLWR is a mean gap of 14.38% and a median gap of 16.42%.
Mean pay gap 14.38%
Median pay gap 16.42%
8.2 LLWR gender bonus gap
The gender bonus gap for LLWR is a mean gap of 22.5% and a median gap of 33.93%.
Mean bonus gap 22.50%
Median bonus gap 33.93%
8.3 Pay by quartiles
The proportions of male and female LLWR employees in each pay quartile
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 58% | 42% |
| Lower middle quartile | 52% | 48% |
| Upper middle quartile | 40% | 60% |
| Upper quartile | 21% | 79% |
9. Direct Rail Services Limited (DRS)
DRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of the NDA. The company was established in 1995 as supplier of rail transport services to the nuclear industry.
DRS employs more than 400 staff and continues to support the decommissioning activities of the NDA estate. It has successfully extended its service into a number rail market sectors outside the nuclear industry.
The safety and security of all transport operations is DRS’ first priority and the safety record of moving spent fuel by rail is exemplary. This material has been transported in this way since 1962, travelling over 12 million miles without any incident involving the release of radioactive material.
9.1 DRS gender pay gap
The gender pay gap for DRS is a mean gap of 21% and a median gap of 40%.
Mean pay gap 21%
Median pay gap 40%
9.2 DRS gender bonus gap
The gender bonus gap for DRS is a mean gap of 21% and a median gap of 45%.
Mean bonus gap 21%
Median bonus gap 45%
9.3 Pay by quartiles
The proportions of male and female DRS employees in each pay quartile
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 41% | 59% |
| Lower middle quartile | 11% | 89% |
| Upper middle quartile | 4% | 96% |
| Upper quartile | 6% | 94% |
10. International Nuclear Services Limited (INS)
INS is a wholly owned subsidiary of the NDA with extensive experience in irradiated fuel management and transporting nuclear materials.
INS contributes to delivering the NDA’s strategy by providing specialist nuclear transport, design and licensing services, and by managing NDA’s fuel cycle contracts with UK and overseas customers.
A large part of INS’ work involves the transportation of spent nuclear fuels and the return of waste to countries of origin. It operates Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited (PNTL), the world’s most experienced nuclear shipping company which has a fleet of 3 INF3 nuclear transport carriers.
As well as continuing to contribute to the delivery of NDA’s strategy, INS uses the skills and experience accumulated over 40 years to help a range of customers unlock their own nuclear challenges.
10.1 INS gender pay gap
The gender pay gap for INS is a mean gap of 24.9% and a median gap of 31%.
Mean pay gap 24.9%
Median pay gap 31%
10.2 INS gender bonus gap
The gender bonus gap for INS is a mean gap of 42% and a median gap of 43%.
Mean bonus gap 42%
Median bonus gap 43%
10.3 Pay by quartiles
The proportions of male and female INS employees in each pay quartile
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 20% | 80% |
| Lower middle quartile | 38% | 62% |
| Upper middle quartile | 15% | 85% |
| Upper quartile | 20% | 80% |
11. Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM)
RWM is a wholly owned subsidiary of the NDA whose mission is to deliver a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) in the UK and provide radioactive waste management solutions.
RWM collaborates with scientists around the world on multi-million pound research programmes, sharing the latest scientific advances and best practice, and works with the producers of radioactive waste to find ways to package it that are suitable for disposal in a GDF.
The RWM team includes scientists and engineers with over 30 years’ experience in carrying out research and development to support geological disposal, supported by community engagement specialists.
11.1 RWM gender pay gap
The gender pay gap for RWM is a mean gap of 15.5% and a median gap of 13.9%.
Mean pay gap 15.5%
Median pay gap 13.9%
11.2 RWM gender bonus gap
The gender bonus gap for RWM is a mean gap of 16.8% and a median gap of 34.1%.
Mean bonus gap 16.8%
Median bonus gap 34.1%
11.3 Pay by quartiles
The proportions of male and female RWM employees in each pay quartile
| Quartile | Female % | Male % |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quartile | 50% | 50% |
| Lower middle quartile | 37% | 63% |
| Upper middle quartile | 20% | 80% |
| Upper quartile | 25% | 75% |
12. Addressing the gender pay gap
The gender pay gap across the NDA Group is heavily influenced by the uneven distribution of females at all levels of the organisation, with a disproportionate number of men in the higher paid grades.
Addressing issues around diversity and inclusion is a moral duty and a business priority. Organisations that benefit from diversity in background and viewpoints attract and retain the best people and are ultimately more successful.
Ensuring a more balanced distribution of males and females at all levels will be good for our business and is what’s needed to address the gender pay gap. It won’t happen overnight and the actions undertaken today will take time to deliver results, but by making sure the industry recruits from a more diverse talent pool, removes any unconscious bias or barriers that may exist in recruitment and progression procedures, and builds a more agile working environment the first steps will be taken towards closing this gap.
The NDA Group has already started to make some important steps forward along the journey to close the gender pay gap:
- changing the way it recruits, attracts and retains talent and how it progresses people
- there will be a much stronger focus on flexibility of working, as a key way of attracting more women into applying for vacancies at all levels
- the NDA and its businesses are looking at how skills from other more diverse industries can be transferred into nuclear
- the NDA has signed up to the Women in Nuclear (WiN) Charter reaffirming its commitment to gender balance in the nuclear sector