Rail boss gets £800,000 bonus despite soaring cancellations

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, condemned the size of Mr Sutherland’s bonus and said: “So poor performance is rewarded for the CEO while five years without a pay rise (for train drivers) is acceptable for staff?

“We know who the hypocrites and bad actors are – the ones who have been plundering the industry for 30 years.”

Speaking to the Telegraph on Thursday, he said: “We hope we are on the verge of having a government with a truly integrated, green transport system that delivers value for passengers, taxpayers and those on the front line delivering it.”

Awakened capitalism

The focus of corporations on left-wing social goals instead of the company’s stated purpose has been criticized as “woke capitalism.”

In an article in the Telegraph in June, long-serving Conservative minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg defined woke capitalism as an excessive focus on ESG and diversity that threatened economic growth – and therefore the nation’s prosperity.

“The damage caused by woke capitalism is immense: it means employers cannot hire people based on merit, instead they have to tick boxes and meet quotas,” Sir Jacob said.

Steve Norris, a former transport minister in John Major’s last Conservative government in the 1990s, said Mr Sutherland’s pay should not have been linked to ESG targets.

“It is disappointing that First Group does not appear to recognise that its core mission is to operate trains and buses profitably.

“That’s what its shareholders have a right to expect. And that certainly means that bonuses awarded to already well-paid executives should be commensurate with the company’s ability to achieve those clear goals.

“Ensuring high standards in terms of ESG and diversity should be taken for granted in a large public company, not the basis on which the CEO is compensated.”