Cranswick PLC

The company discloses it has a whistleblowing hotline open to employees and third parties, which is operated by a third party, Safecall. Anonymous reporting is permitted, and the mechanism is available online or via telephone, 24/7 and in multiple languages. The company also reports taking steps to publicise the availability of the mechanism to employees but does not provide details of these steps. The company’s whistleblowing policy also details that grievances can be raised internally through a line manager, senior manager or the HR department.

Cranswick reports conducting an internal review of its whistleblowing procedures but does not clarify if this was part of a regular evaluation process or a one-time review. The company also runs an annual group-wide staff survey with an engagement rate of 80% in FY2022. However, it is not evident from public disclosure whether this survey includes any points on the effectiveness of grievance mechanisms.

The company reports grievances received but does not disclose a breakdown by type of grievance. In 2022, the independently operated hotline received 14 whistleblowing reports, predominantly on human resource matters. While whistleblowers can report across 18 categories of grievance, the company does not provide a categorisation breakdown of the whistleblowing cases received.

The group's internal and external channels reportedly include health and safety risks. However, the policy is not clear that worker rights concerns can be reported through the channel.

The company provides a detailed description of its Whistleblowing Line resolution process, including parties involved, following a case reported through internal channels, i.e. directly to a senior manager or HR manager. The company also outlines in what instance the whistleblowing line may be used instead of this internal channel.

The company does not publicly disclose information on its sick pay policy.

The company does not disclose the other economic incentives it makes available to workers.

The company states it has over 13,700 workers and is working to reduce its reliance on agency workers. However, it does not disclose metrics on the distribution of its workforce across the different types of employment contracts.

Cranswick’s public reporting indicates that its Audit Committee review quarterly reports of Whistleblowing Line cases and that the Board reviews these metrics annually. The Board also reviews reports from the Non-Executive Directors on workforce engagement. The company does not publicly disclose the specific metrics discussed in these reports.

Board-level representation The company discloses that workers are indirectly represented at the Board level through engagement with Work Councils and regular site visits. Cranswick’s Board undertook several site visits during 2022 to engage with its workforce. Non-executive directors also undertake individual site visits where they are encouraged to engage directly with workers at all levels, following which they report back to the Board. The company is looking to expand these visits through its new designated non-executive director, Yetunde Hofmann, who will coordinate site visits to go beyond consulting only works councils. The company publicly reports that feedback from workers covered various topics in 2022, including the groups' sustainability strategy and improvements to working facilities. In response to employee feedback on inflationary pressures, the Board also approved a mid-year pay rise, targeting those on lower incomes. In addition, the Board has been involved in reviewing strategies to tackle labour shortages. Internal committees Cranswick discloses that internal worker representation is available through works councils which operate on-site. However, it does not report on the number of plants with this structure in place. Dialogue with trade unions There is no discussion of external representation through constructive dialogues with trade unions in the company’s public disclosure.

Unlike in 2020, in its 2021 and 2022 disclosures, Cranswick does not acknowledge collective bargaining agreements in its disclosure. The company does not report the collective bargaining agreement coverage of its workforce.

Automation Cranswick continues to invest in automation to combat labour shortages and boost capacity. However, beyond safer working conditions, the company does not assess the impact of automation on its workforce. Climate risk Cranswick has a target to be “an operational Net Zero business” by 2040. It also has two SBTi-approved targets to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 50% per tonne by 2030. The company does not report assessing the impact of its climate strategies on its workforce.

The company reports that workers have raised Cranswick’s climate strategy, Second Nature, for discussion during non-executive director visits. It is not apparent from this disclosure whether the non-executive directors and/or Board members directly raise this topic for a formal consultation with workers. Cranswick does not disclose whether it engages workers or their representatives in discussions about its automation strategy.

Cranswick does not publicly state its support for a Just Transition in the food sector.