Osborne seems to feel that the anti-bonus sentiment represents an anti-business culture. I strongly disagree. Let's start by talking numbers: Assume the average UK salary is £25,000. Assume an obscene bonus of £1,000,000. By doing the math, this means that the bonus for one individual could fund the salaries of 40 individuals. In the current climate of austerity and rising unemployment, it seems crucial that actions taken benefit all of society not just individuals. More people in employment means they have less time & desire to protest. Which implies that they might be less likely to riot. Employment will ensure that they develop skills and experience for their CV's; they will have spending money to keep the economy moving. And of course, they will be less likely to need to rely on benefits which means that we all benefit.
And for the record, I don't oppose rewarding success, I just feel it should be proportionate. A 20% bonus for a £250,000 salary is £50,000. That is a very just reward for success and still represents double the average annual salary of a UK employee. Furthermore, I have difficulty in believing any manager or CEO is ever held sufficiently accountable to justify any bonus in excess of this value. Nor do we need to act as lemmings; just because this behaviour may exist elsewhere does not justify following suit. Someone needs to be the bigger person. If the current Con-Dem government aren't up to the task, I'm sure there are those that are. Anti-bonus is not anti-business, it's pro-society. It's just common sense.
And for the record, I don't oppose rewarding success, I just feel it should be proportionate. A 20% bonus for a £250,000 salary is £50,000. That is a very just reward for success and still represents double the average annual salary of a UK employee. Furthermore, I have difficulty in believing any manager or CEO is ever held sufficiently accountable to justify any bonus in excess of this value. Nor do we need to act as lemmings; just because this behaviour may exist elsewhere does not justify following suit. Someone needs to be the bigger person. If the current Con-Dem government aren't up to the task, I'm sure there are those that are. Anti-bonus is not anti-business, it's pro-society. It's just common sense.
