Forty-five trade union fat cats earned £100,000 or MORE last year
FORTY-FIVE trade union fat cats earned £100,000 or more last year, according to research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.
It has put together a Trade Union Rich List to coincide with this weekend’s TUC conference.
The six-figure salaries place union bosses comfortably within the category of “wealthy” defined by shadow chancellor John McDonnell as those earning more than £80,000 a year.
Being among the top five per cent of earners in the UK, they would face a new 50 per cent income tax levy if Labour came to power.
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Top of the rich list are GMB bosses Paul Kenny and Tim Roache, who shared earnings of £263,000 last year.
Five earned more than the Prime Minister, who is paid £150,402 a year.
These union bosses claim to speak for workers
They are Larry Broderick, general secretary of the Financial Services Union (£164,723), former National Association of Head Teachers boss Russell Hobby (£161,548), John Smith, of the Musicians’ Union (£155,728), Tim Poil, of the Nationwide Group Staff Union (£153,055) and TUC chief Frances O’Grady (£152,365). Stephen Cotton, head of the International Transport Workers Federation earned £149,005, Royal College of Midwives boss Cathy Warwick was paid £147,139, Karen Middleton, of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, earned £140,670 while Community’s Roy Rickhuss was paid £140,474.
The deputy general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, Andy Darken, ranked bottom of the list on £100,014, which is £72,414 higher than the average UK salary of £27,600.
Mick Cash, boss of the RMT union which staged the recent Southern rail strikes, was paid £137,349.
Chloe Wesley, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “These union bosses claim to speak for workers but it looks hypocritical when they take home whopping salaries at the same time as they criticise high pay elsewhere.”