Commenting on Barclays boss Bob Diamond being awarded a £6.5 million bonus, Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:
ÒAt a time when public sector workers are facing pay freezes, jobs are being lost and inflation is rising, hitting families hard, bankers are still bringing home huge bonuses.
ÒBob DiamondÕs £6.5million bonus could pay for more than 200 trained social workers or nurses for a year.
ÒThe time for remorse is far from over – we want to see the bankers accepting that they must contribute to paying off the debt they caused.
ÒTaxing just half of the bankers bonuses for one year could keep the threatened Sure Start centres open and cover the complete costs of the Education Maintenance Allowance for five years.
ÒThe Government should be clamping down on the bonus culture instead of cutting the public sector deep and fast, as we know there is an alternative.Ó