Good for Tavish Scott in highlighting at last week's First Minister's questions the burgeoning cost of Scotland’s public bodies to the taxpayer, with the disclosure that at least 1 798 employees in the sector earn more than £100 000 a year.Six public sector executive board members are paid more than Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister (£197 000) or Alex Salmond, First Minister (£145 000). A further 1 596 are paid between £80 000 and £100 000 — more than a Scottish government minister. The total salary bill for the highest-paid is at least £400 million a year.
If you go to http://tinyurl.com/fatcatpay or click on the headline above, you can read the Courier's news report about this - and I publish below the Scottish Liberal Democrats' news release about the matter. What is clear is that the SNP government is taking no action to tackle the issue - disgraceful given the financial and economic challenges facing Scotland.
Scott challenges Salmond to cut the fat cat pay bill
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott MSP challenged the First Minister to cut the fat cat pay bill by 2010.
At First Minister’s Questions, Mr Scott revealed that nearly 3,400 people in the public sector get paid more than a Scottish Government Minister does. They receive a total of almost £401 million in pay each year.
Commenting, Mr Scott said:
“At least 3,400 people in the public sector in Scotland get paid more than a Scottish Government Minister. Some even get paid more than Alex Salmond’s three salaries as MP, MSP and First Minister added together.
“They receive a total of £401 million in pay every year.
“All across vital public services people at the bottom of the income scale are being threatened with losing their jobs. Statistics last week show that the number of young people unemployed has never been higher.
“People will not understand why the Government lets this pay chasm between richest and poorest continue.
“The First Minister and his Government are in charge of public sector pay. It was John Swinney who awarded the new Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise her bumper £203,000 salary and handed the Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust a fat £180,000 paycheque.
“I want a fair society where the very well paid are expected to share the burden of tight government spending, not just the poorest and unemployed.
“The First Minister needs to set a target as part of his Budget to reduce that pay bill and spend the money on creating skills and jobs for young people instead. It’s right that the people who get such a vast share of public money should shoulder a fair share of the burden in these tough times.”