Bonanza Time For The Bosses!
While rail passengers are being warned to expect fare increases of up to 40% – possibly even more – over the next four years it’s bonanza time in the boardrooms of Britain’s main private transport operators.
The “UK Transport Rich List” is topped by Keith Ludeman – boss of the Go-Ahead group – who saw his salary rise by an incredible 35% from £916,000 on the June 2009 figures to £1,240,000 in July this year. Ludeman is responsible for the Southern Trains franchise which recently announced it was axing toilets, as a cost cutting measure on the key inter-city route between Portsmouth and Brighton.
Hot on his heels are Brian Souter from Stagecoach on £762,000 and David Martin from Arriva on £743,635. Company profits show that the big five UK transport operators have posted combined dividends of more than £2 billion since privatisation.
Roughly translated, what was once a fully integrated, national rail network was handed over to the private sector in the 1990s. Or rather the assets were largely handed over, because the public were still expected to provide massive subsidies to the new rail owners. It was either that, or revert to the old privately owned network which had to be nationalised after the Second World War because it was bankrupt.
So the great British travelling public is now being forced to stump up for a reduction in those same subsidies, making travelling to work possibly even more expensive than any rewards received for work itself. To add insult to injury, the fat cats who run the industry will continue to stuff their pockets at the public expense.
Meanwhile, the same bosses are busy cutting costs and cutting staff.
Rarely are any of these facts laid before the long suffering commuters, who are invited by much of the media instead to bash the unions – and in particular the leader of the main rail union, the RMT, Bob Crow – when union members strike to save jobs and maintain services. And sadly, Britain is such an atomized and spiritually crushed society that all too many people have simply become resigned to the most grotesque two fingered salute that is being given to them by Government and industry bosses alike.
How quite unlike France..
UK TRANSPORT COMPANY“RICH LIST”
Railway Directors Remuneration
Train company
Highest Paid Director
Arriva Group
David Martin £743,635 (31 Dec 2009)
Arriva Cross Country
199,000 (01 Mar 2009)
Arriva Trains Wales
194,000 (31 Dec 2009)
First Group
Moir Lockhead £643,000 (31 Mar 2010)
First Capital Connect
398,000 (31 Mar 2009)
First Great Western
190,000 (31 Mar 2008)
Hull Trains
Information unavailable.
ScotRail
429,275 (31 Mar 2009).
First Transpenine
Information unavailable.
Go-Ahead Group (65% of Govia)
Keith Ludeman £916,000 (27 Jun 2009)
£1240,000 (July 2010)
London Midland
Information unavailable.
Southeastern
Information unavailable.
Southern
358,000 (28 Jun 2008)
National Express Group
Interim 6 months ended 30thJune 08
Ray O’Toole £644,000 (31 Dec 2009)
C2C
166,852 (31 Dec 2008)
Stagecoach Group
Interim 6 months ended 31st October 08
Brian Souter £762,000 (30 Apr 2010)
East Midlands Trains
Information unavailable.
South West Trains
Information unavailable.
