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ScotRail bosses' salaries revealed as directors rake in £1.3 million between them

ScotRail has finally revealed the salaries of its top earners after previously refusing to do so when the franchise was taken back under public control.

The rail firm has also published the salary banding of its 5,116 employees with 2,846 workers paid between £20,000 and £39,000-a-year.

Over the course of a year, eight of ScotRail's highest earners take home over £1.32 million between them.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon told to 'focus on what really matters' instead of independence referendum plans

Our sister paper the Sunday Mail reported in April that ScotRail had refused to disclose the salaries of the top employers.

In a statement on its website, ScotRail said: "In line with the Scottish Government guidelines to disclose the names, job titles and salary details of senior management within Non-Departmental Public Bodies, the following information is provided."

It comes following a pay and conditions dispute between the train drivers union Aslef and ScotRail which saw employees refusing to work overtime or on rest days.

The row led to the imposition of a temporary timetable and the cancellation of hundreds of services across the entire country at the start of the summer.

Last month Aslef's National Executive Committee agreed an improved offer that would be put to its member in a ballot.

Managing Director Alex Hynes is paid between £330,000 to £334,999-a-year (PA)

The result is expected to be announce on July 11 with disruption still ongoing for commuters.

Late last month RMT workers went on strike for three days over a pay dispute with the UK Government. It brought the country to a standstill after the union rejected a pay increase of three per cent.

How much do ScotRail bosses earn?

Managing Director Alex Hynes' salary was revealed earlier this year when ScotRail was owned by Abellio.

He is the highest earner and takes home between £330,00 and £334,999-a-year, however he is paid by the UK Government as he is a Network Rail employee.

Joanne Maguire, the Chief Operating Officer, takes home between £175,000 and £180,000-a-year while the Interim Finance Director James Griffin pockets a cool £170,000.

The Safety, Sustainability & Asset Director David Lister earns between £150,000 and £155,000-a-year, he also has a car allowance of £7,500 on top of his salary.

David Simpson, Service Delivery Director, also gets a £7,500 car allowance as well as his £135,000-a-year salary.

ScotRail's Commercial Director Lesley Kane who joined the firm in June 2018 takes home between £130,000 and £135,000-a-year on top of a £7,500 car allowance.

Marie-Thérèse Weighton, Interim HR Director, and David Ross, Interim Communication Director, both pocket between £115,000 and £120,000-a-year.

What is ScotRail's salary banding?

Here are the salaries and the number of employees:

£160,000 to £179,000 - 2

£140,000 to £159,999 - 1

£120,000 to £139,000- 2

£100,000 to £119,000 - 4

£80,000 to £99,999 - 24

£60,000 to £79,000 - 153

£40,000 to £59,000 - 2,067

£20,000 to £39,000 - 2,846

£18,000 to £20,000 - 17

Reaction

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Scotland Rail Holdings executives are paid handsomely for 3 days' work, along with Scotrail bosses who are also enjoying large pay packets.

"There is no reason why railway workers in Scotland cannot be paid a decent rise and have their terms and conditions protected when the higher ups are raking it in.

"The travelling public despises greed in the industry and like RMT, wants to see railway workers who were hailed as heroes during the pandemic, rewarded for their hard work keeping the country moving."

While, Scottish Labour MSP and former leader of the party Richard Leonard tweeted: "Bosses raking it in, while workers struggle, train services are cut and ticket offices are slashed.

"A familiar tale of greed, inequality and injustice. Time for the fight back."

Scottish Labour transport spokesperson Neil Bibby said: “It will come as a shock to the people of Scotland that in the midst of a cost of living and travel crisis, part-time officials at ScotRail are earning six figure sums.

“Frontline workers have been forced to take industrial action for a fair pay deal and all the while part-time executives have been given bumper salaries by the SNP.

“Many ordinary commuters don’t benefit from a car allowance when their train is cancelled so it’s hard to see why this is also appropriate for ScotRail bosses.”

Labour MSP Neil Bibby hit out at the huge salaries (Getty Images)

A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said: "This transparency is welcome and will be a key feature of how ScotRail will be run as a publicly-owned and controlled operator.

"Ministers have been assured that these salaries are commensurate with market rates for senior leaders at organisations on this size and scale.

"We would expect everyone working in Scotland's Railway to be paid at least the Scottish Living Wage and have made clear the Scottish government's expectations that fair work is embedded in ScotRail's culture and working practices."

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