Latest Tweets
UKLabour: IMF right to call for action to boost British economy and stop slow growth and high unemployment - @edballsmp:...
UKLabour: Clegg lacks credibility on social mobility - @HarrietHarman: http://t.co/oz5PxZjn...
UKLabour: .@Ed_Miliband speech on Social Mobility to the Sutton Trust: http://t.co/pZ3W1DNl...
Ministers are showing they are desperately out of touch by not acting over Network Rail bonus plan - Maria Eagle
2 February 2012
Maria Eagle MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, in advance of next week’s Network Rail General Meeting which is set to approve a new bonus package, said:
"Passengers who have suffered fare rises of up to 13 per cent in January and deteriorating performance on our railways will be staggered to learn that Network Rail executives are proposing a generous new bonus scheme. While taxpayers continue to fund the rail industry to the tune of £4 billion every year, these bonuses are completely unacceptable.
"Ministers are showing they are desperately out of touch by refusing to exercise the powers they have to halt these bonuses and must explain why they have failed to fulfil the commitment in the Coalition Agreement to make Network Rail more accountable. The Government and Network Rail need to recognise that times have changed and accept that additional payments on top of salaries should be for exceptional performance, not the rule, and the bonus culture that has existed for too long in too many companies must come to an end.
"Network Rail must now reassure passengers that it has no intention of paying out bonuses this year in the light of its deteriorating performance, while the Government must confirm how they intend to address Network Rail’s accountability gap."
