20 April 2012

SDLP Slams Translink's Chief's Pay Rise Like Poor 'Yes Minister' Joke

SDLP Regional Development Committee member Dolores Kelly says Translink's Chief Executive's pay increase is comparable in monetary terms to having an extra nurse on our hospital ward or a teacher in a classroom.

The Upper Bann MLA was speaking after it emerged the chief executive’s Catherine Mason’s pension contributions has increased her salary to £198,000.

Ms Kelly said: "I happened to catch an episode of 'Yes Minister' lately were they talked about having an economy drive within the department and Humphries' reply was'‘I suppose I could lose a few tea ladies'. People will be astounded that such an salary increase can happen at Translink in a time of redundancies and constraints. I'm aware of DRD employees in my constituency being made redundant next week.

"There needs to be a political decision made about the wages for the top personnel at government organisations and public bodies.

"The last Programme for Government targeted a 20 per cent increase in switching people from private to public transport; the figure has reached only seven per cent due to a lack of investment that reflects policy. In this mandate we had a budget passed before a Programme for Government therefore it hard to see this pattern changing over the lifetime of this budget. So how is this increase justified?

"The SDLP is determined that there should be reform to drive out waste in all departments. We want value for money for taxpayers. A chief executive on £198,000 per annum does not breed public confidence that value for money is being gained. We’re talking about a pay-scale higher than the British Prime Minister or the North’s First Minister."

(CD/GK)