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Bonus freeze sparks readers' debate

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Published Date: 16 January 2009
THE exclusive revelation in The Scotsman yesterday that HBOS was to freeze bonus payments to its corporate banking staff amid a troubled year for the Edinburgh-based financial institution sparked strong debate among readers of the scotsman.com website.
Many bank workers defended their financial reliance on the annual reward – that has been paid out to workers every year since the Halifax-Bank of Scotland merger in 2001.

One reader pointed out that not all workers entitled to a bonus were on "fat cat" salaries.

He said: "People seem to assume that all corporate staff are on big wages and only sell debt! Corporate staff include IT, support staff, processors, communications teams etc.

"I personally find it hard to attribute the blame for the financial troubles on these guys."

Others had no sympathy for the financial workers, saying that bonuses should not be paid out when the bank attempted to tap shareholders for emergency cash in a £4 billion rights issue.

Another reader wrote: "A bonus is a bonus regardless of your salary, and is certainly not an integral part of your salary. Welcome to the real world."





The full article contains 193 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 15 January 2009 11:16 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: The Scotsman
 
1

Lianachan,

Highlands 16/01/2009 08:53:33
This really is ridiculous - reporting activity on your own website as somehow newsworthy? Pathetic, even by Scotsman standards.
2

Alternative (High-Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 16/01/2009 11:20:57
Excuse me... This is a BONUS we are talking about here. It is not part of their salary, no matter what their pay scale.

Most normal people would agree that in the last 12 months, HBOS has been operating at just about as far from "bonus" territory as it is possible to get. Bonus payments are normally paid due to the fact that a company has grown beyond expectations and the profits are above the predicted level. Unless you've been living on Mars for the past year, I think you would agree that HBOS profits have NOT been in excess of the predicted level.


 

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