‘Obscene’ salaries of charity bosses

I read in the “Third Sector” that Martyn Lewis, chairman of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is recommending that charities should publish the pay details of their highest-paid staff, particularly on their charity websites.

I have always been concerned that CEOs of banks and other blue chip companies receive obscene salaries and even enormous bonuses for putting in the same hours that many ordinary workers do. Of course, where millions of pounds are being apportioned, the purse-holder must have a degree of competence. Though, even a super-market shelf-stacker has to have considerable competence.

What is unfair is the enormous gulf between the earnings of one worker and that of another where both put in the same number of hours. Indeed, some of the top earners not only get bonuses for failure but perks and/or golden handshakes of £millions.

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91% of all charities have no paid staff and are run by volunteers. Of the remaining 9% they employ 800,000 people. Less than 1% of charity paid workers earn over £60,000 or more. The charity pay inquiry, headed by Martyn Lewis, also notes that if the high Charity earners worked in the public and private sectors they could be earning between 25% and 45% more.

Well, it’s a matter of job contentment but I still think that all charities should be open about how much they pay their staff so that the public can decide if they want to contribute to the CEO’s pocket or the charity’s endeavours.

Tony Smith

Brownbread Horse Rescue

Ashburnham, Battle

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