In April 2023, the National Education Union employed 545 people.
The following information shows the difference in average female and male earnings in April 2023.
- Mean gender pay gap – 7.90%
- Median gender pay gap – 6.93%
The April 2023 pay gap information compared to April 2022 figures shows a very slightly increased mean pay gap (less than 0.1%), and a small improvement in median pay gap.
April 2022
- Mean gender pay gap – 7.89%
- Median gender pay gap – 7.11%
The NEU published its first gender pay gap report in April 2018.
- Mean gender pay gap – 12.8%
- Median gender pay gap – 19.38%
We are pleased that there has been a significant improvement in the mean and median gender pay gap since then.
Quartile analysis
Our organisation has a higher percentage of female employees (62%) and there are more women than men in three of the four quartiles of our pay structure. There are more men than women in the upper middle quartile. The 2023 mean and median gender pay gaps are due to the higher percentage of women in the lower and lower middle quartiles than in the upper middle and upper quartiles.
| Pay Quartiles by Gender | ||
| Male | Female | |
| Upper Quartile | 42% | 58% |
| Upper Middle Quartile | 52% | 48% |
| Lower Middle Quartile | 38% | 62% |
| Lower Quartile | 20% | 80% |
| Overall | 38% | 62% |
Gender pay gap action plan
Through our joint work with staff and the recognised unions and self-organised groups (including the NEU Women’s group) as well as our Equalities Working Group we have further reviewed and updated our Dignity at work policy. The work of the Equalities Working Group significantly contributes to our aim of improving opportunities for under-represented groups and is regularly attended by the General Secretary and a Deputy General Secretary.
We continue to put in place initiatives to:
• Improve recording and monitoring of diversity data to enable effective analysis
• Have recruitment practices that include anonymised shortlisting and guaranteed interview scheme.
• Have a rolling programme of mandatory training for managers including Diversity and Inclusion, Recruitment and Selection, Performance Management and Wellbeing and Mental Health
• Continually develop and review our in-house mentoring programme.
The NEU is currently rolling out initiatives in consultation with our recognised unions to further support women in the workplace through:
• Continued promotion of anti-sexual harassment workplace policies and improvedprocedures for reporting and investigating reports of sexual harassment
• Unconscious bias training for all staff
• Training for managers to increase awareness of gender specific health issues
• Continued roll out of sexual harassment training to all managers
• Leadership and management programme for aspiring managers. Criteria includes first consideration of applications from female and/or black staff who are currently under-represented in management roles.
We continue to work within a negotiated and agreed NEU Pay Policy which clearly and transparently sets out annually negotiated salary pay scales and progression, a range of employee allowances and the NEU’s process for job evaluation.
It is our recruitment practice to demonstrate that processes are non-discriminatory and promote equality of opportunity via equality and diversity monitoring and we welcome applications from individuals seeking part-time, job-share or other flexible working arrangements.
Our priority continues to be a reduction in our gender pay gap for female staff through planning, training, and policy development. We continue to focus our work on the roll out sexual harassment training for managers as well as raising awareness of the Dignity at work policy in order to improve the working environment for staff in line with our NEU Values.
Daniel Kebede
General Secretary National Education Union