In the Office at 7am. The RSGB Response.

Earlier in the week, I sent a letter to the RSGB to express my views (but not as a formal complaint) that £60,000 was a very generous remuneration package for one person working in a hobby society.  Of course, all we know about the actual payment is that it is in excess of £60,000.

Members of the society may be interested to read the response issued a couple of days later.  Whilst I had already accepted that there is no doubt a lot of work to do, I am not remotely persuaded by the bleating that this "person" is at his desk at 7am, and doesn't leave until 5pm.  At at least 2.3 times the average national UK wage, and probably significantly higher than that, you'd kind of expect someone to be working at least those hours.

No car as part of the upper crust's salary.  That's alright then!

I think I have to be concerned that the Board Chairman compares the existing position holder's benefits with those enjoyed by the previous incumbent.  If one is to assume that the person receiving this salary is the General Manager, then of course, the past incumbent (and not the present one) was involved in activities that led to legal action to recover monies owed to the Society.  That he had a car on top of the lovely salary was perhaps just an extension of that taking the membership and the society for fools.  It certainly isn't the wisest comparison to make!


Here is the response.  I had considered not publishing the name of the correspondent, but his position is given within the text, it hasn't been marked private, and the society is accountable to its members.  So there is no real moral or legal reason why it should not be public:

"Your e-mail has been passed to me as RSGB Board Chairman.

I note your concern about the payment but would point out that in 2010 the highest salary paid to a Society employee was greater than £59,000 plus a fully funded car. The person currently receiving a salary of greater than £60,000 does not have a car provided by the Society.

Bearing in mind that there have been Board changes over the last five years, I believe that the current salary is commensurate with those offered to people with similar responsibilities in similar roles elsewhere and the various Board members over the five years have noted this in reviewing the salaries.

What I would also point out is that the person who receives the salary is in the office at 7am and leaves at 5pm during the week, participates in calls/meetings in the evening on a number of days per week to coincide with the wider RSGB volunteer community, many of whom still work, and also works on Saturdays and/or Sundays for many weekends per year. The person concerned has also proposed and implemented cost saving measures as the Board is fully aware that we need to be as cost efficient as possible in the current climate.

Finally I would remind you that neither I, as Chairman, nor any other Board Member (who are all directors of the company) receives any salary.

Thanks you again for raising this matter.

Regards

Graham

Graham Murchie  G4FSG"