Bonuses: We are not all in it together

Delegates to the STUC in Ayr roundly condemned the massive bonuses for senior executives in the finance sector, while workers face the stress of redundancy.  Many CEOs now earn more than 100 times the basic pay of their workers at the bottom of the pay scale.

The STUC will support the work of the High Pay Commission to end these differences and will campaign for trade unionsto be represented on remuneration committees.

Supporting the motion, UNISON's Pat Rowland said, "The banks are concerned that these gamblers, sorry bank speculators, will go elsewhere if they don't pay appropriate bonuses. Good riddance!"

But Pat pointed out that staffing giant Robert Walters had said that many city workers were waiting till the dust settles on new regulations and only a trickle have moved offshore.

In any case The Economist reported on 12 March that those who had jumped ship are now finding the grass is not greener and are trying to come back, Pat told delegates.

"Try telling classroom assistants, catering staff and care workers about bankers' 'appropriate' bonuses", she said.

"The dedicated staff who go to work every day caring about the service they provide to the community. Working without bonus incentives but having the stress of redundancy as a reality. And their colleagues who remain having to fill the gaps left behind by their departing colleagues.

"Discusss the reality with the parents of children condemned to struggle in the education system because support workers have been withdrawn. Or the elderly who have a care workers rush in the door to get them up and assist them to was and dress in the 15 minutes alloted to them.

"The ConDem millionaires don't give a damn about the services to the vulnerable. They need to keep the bankers sweet to maintain the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed", said Pat

"How can we all be in it together when their concept of society is a million miles adrift of that of working people?"