Investors fightback in director bonuses row
Investors in house building giant Bellway have today voted down a move to pay directors substantial bonuses despite one of the worst years on record. The directors of the company had already voted through six-figure bonuses for a number of employees although they have now cancelled the plan after shareholders revolted at the recent shareholders meeting.
Quite how company directors can expect to pay themselves bonuses of up to £650,000 in the current economic environment is remarkable to say the least. The housebuilding sector has been busy trying to reserve cash as business continues to suffer and recently we saw a number of companies cancel shareholder dividends.
The problem for companies such as Bellway is the fact that shareholders have long memories and when the good times do roll again many of these directors who agreed to pay themselves substantial bonuses could suffer. The move against the Bellway bonus scheme was instigated by the Association of British Insurers and is seen by many as shot across the bows for public company directors. The Association of British Insurers is one of the more significant trade associations in the UK with members who have literally billions upon billions of pounds invested across the country.
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