What the boaters think

BLOGGERS have responded in no uncertain terms to the narrowboatworld article Prospects bleak for BW bank-side staff, with British Waterways Chief Executive coming under fire.

The article by Allan Richards suggested that executive directors align their salaries with those of the third sector to save staff from being made redundant.

Ignored

And though BW has been encouraging blogging under the Waterscape banner, this  has been largely ignored by the public, as the chairman's comments on water features at the Chelsea flower show aroused little interest.

However, an item in Boaters Update Newsletter (February 2011) giving a link to a new blog by Robin Evans did not go unnoticed, with many more concerned with directors remuneration and its links with volunteering and redundancies.

The comments

Scott Monroe wrote:

Will the remuneration for senior execs and the board be reduced in line with other comparable charities, such as the National Trust (a much larger and more financially successful organisation, it should be noted)?

Steve wrote:

Over 3.5 million pounds in salary between nine of you?! Sorry, I cannot take you seriously.

Tom Clayton wrote:

I would also welcome your comments on Director remuneration levels in the light of the recent redundancies announced, in my view the one-off cost of any 're-branding' exercise deemed required is a mere bagatelle in comparison. Please be clear and concise.

Ian Richards wrote:

Robin Evans and his directors have asset-stripped BW over the last few years by their over-inflated salaries and bonuses, and now they announce 400 redundancies from BW. This is public money and a public asset. They should be ashamed of themselves and resign forthwith.

Alison wrote:

I am all for the charity status of BW, and will be volunteering some of my precious time. What I find incredulous is your hypocrisy of asking for volunteers, making staff with valuable experience redundant and then expecting me to accept that you need to be paid 1/2 a million shame on you!  Why don't you volunteer half of your time and bring your salary down to an almost acceptable level?

Moderated

As BW blogs are moderated, further comments may remain unpublished. However, it is known that some people have written to MP's condemning BW's plans to make staff redundant whilst directors continue with remuneration packages at least thee time that of the third sector.

Comments have also been noted on boaters forums and blogs. With similar comments on the narrowboatworld Forum, with posts suggesting boaters write to their MPs

Our Allan Richards adds:

By reducing director remuneration to third sector levels, BW could save at least £2m pa. Based on BW's own figures that equates to the jobs of more than 60 of its staff. Those staff, if made redundant, will have to be replaced by unpaid and perhaps less skilled volunteer effort.

Put simply, BW's directors are willing to sacrifice the jobs of 60 staff and replace them with volunteers so that they can continue to pay themselves at least three times the 'going rate' for the third sector

To date Robin Evans has not responded.