22/11/2011

Pay Commission Slams 'Victorian Era' Inequalities

The High Pay Commission has published a report on Tuesday, which has found "spiralling" high pay is creating inequalities "last seen in the Victorian era".

The commission's final report, called Cheques with Balances: Why tackling high pay is in the national interest, shows "stratospheric" pay increases, which have seen wealth flow upwards to the top 0.1% away from average workers.

The report sets out a 12-point plan that includes a radical simplification of executive pay, putting employees on remuneration committees, publishing the top ten executive pay packages outside the boardroom, forcing companies to publish a pay ratio between the highest paid executive and the company median, forcing companies to reveal total pay figure earned by the executive and establishing a new national body to monitor high pay.

High Pay Commission chair, Deborah Hargreaves, said: "There’s a crisis at the top of British business and it is deeply corrosive to our economy. When pay for senior executives is set behind closed doors, does not reflect company success and is fuelling massive inequality it represents a deep malaise at the very top of our society.

“The British people believe in fairness and, at a time of unparalleled austerity, one tiny section of society – the top 0.1% - continues to enjoy huge annual increases in pay awards.

"Everyone, including each of the main political parties, recognises there is a need to tackle top pay. That’s why we are saying there must be an end to the 'closed shop' that sets top pay and that pay packages should be clear, open and published to shareholders and the public.”

The report contains a number of findings such as busting the myth that pay must increase to halt a "talent drain" in executives, and that high pay is damaging the UK economy – distorting markets, draining talent from key sectors and rewarding failure.

(DW)

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