Patsy McGlone 26th May 2009

MCGLONE QUESTIONS BONUS CULTURE AMONG TOP CIVIL SERVANTS

SDLP Mid-Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone said it is time to question the bonus culture that has grown up in the upper reaches of the Civil Service.

Mr McGlone put down a series of questions asking ministers to account for bonus payments over the last five years. He said: “I am still waiting for answers from some departments but it is already clear that there is a bonus system in operation for top grades which we as public representatives would find it very difficult to defend to the general public, especially in a downturn.

“Bonuses of several thousand pounds each are being paid out and we have no idea what they are for, over and above the work the individuals are already paid their salary for. These bonuses are going exclusively to those who are already highly paid, and the determination is being made by other top civil servants so it looks suspiciously like a closed golden circle.

“The total cost over time runs into millions. If anyone deserves a bonus it must be the low-paid public servants who keep the whole machinery of government going day to day. And while the top people get their bonuses, the lower-paid civil servants still have not got their back payments for the equal pay award that Peter Robinson promised them over a year ago.

“We need a transparent system of payments for top civil servants just as much as we do for MLAs and MPs, but bonuses should motivate exceptional effort and success. It can hardly be said that only those at the top need motiviation.”
 

ENDS 26/05/09