Worldwide, discussions about renumeration and bonuses typically focus on public corporations, specifically financial institutions. See recent Dutch, English and American initiatives, just to name a few. Maybe not surprising in this day and age, but there seems more to it.
In the Netherlands, for example, the public sector hasn't been excluded from analysis, although the empirical data was not abundant. There have been heated debates in congress about compensation levels, and lawmakers are now drafting new legislation that will actually cap 'exec-comp in the public sector' to € 181.773 (the same annual salary of our prime-minister, which benchmark hasn't gone uncriticized) and limit golden handshakes to a maximum of 1 annual salary.
But now we have a nice chunk of recent data covering bonus payments in the (semi-)public sector, brought together by a Dutch national newspaper. It's a list of the 25 biggest bonuses paid, based on information from annual accounts of organizations that are either funded through tax related funds or are supposed to pursue societal goals. Think of hospitals, health treatment facilities, schools, public housing institutions and the like. The list? Ok, here we go.
Top 25 hoogste bonussen in de (semi)publieke sector
1. Jachtvlieger defensie*, bindingspremie (gedeeltelijk), €79.865
2. Frank Bijdendijk, bestuur woningcorporatie Stadgenoot, €68.881
3. Peter van der Meer, voorzitter M.C. Haaglanden**, €62.652
4. Willem Geerlings, bestuur M.C. Haaglanden**, €61.329
5. Eelco Damen, voorzitter Cordaan (thuiszorg), €50.000
6. Haijo Pietersma, ex-voorzitter A. Schweitzer Ziekenhuis, €44.097
7. Leen Pijpers, ex-bestuurder A. Schweitzer Ziekenhuis, €41.576
8. Secretaris-generaal op een ministerie*, bindingspremie, €39.697
9. Douwe Hemrika, voorzitter OVLG Ziekenhuis, €38.715
10. Roel Steenbeek, voorzitter woningcorporatie Ymere, €37.120
11. Ber Bosveld, bestuur woningcorporatie Ymere, €37.120
12. Lex Pouw, ex-voorzitter woningcorporatie Ymere, €35.324
13. Geert Dales, ex-voorzitter Hogeschool INHolland, €34.040
14. Huib Pols, bestuur Erasmus Medisch Centrum, €33.000
15. Bert Huis in ’t Veld, ex-voorzitter TNO, €32.540
16. Birgitte van Hoesel, bestuur woningcorporatie Portaal, €32.000
17. Hans Büller, voorzitter Erasmus Medisch Centrum, €32.000
18. Lein Labruyère, bestuur Hogeschool INHolland, €30.636
19. Joke Snippe, bestuur Hogeschool INHolland, €30.043
20. Yvonne Wilders, bestuur Spaarneziekenhuis, €29.597
21. Jan Mengelers, bestuur TNO, €29.208
22. Tini Colijn-Hooymans, bestuur TNO, €29.208
23. Harry Koopman, ex-voorzitter Avans Hogeschool, €27.241
24. Jim Schuyt, voorzitter woningcorporatie De Alliantie, €26.284
25. Charlotte Insinger, bestuur Erasmus Medisch Centrum, €26.250
* Naam onbekend
** M.C. = Medisch Centrum
Bron: jaarverslagen 2008 (NRC)
The largest amount was paid to an anonymous army fighterplane pilot, as a retention bonus: almost €80k. Apparently there's an international market for those people (I mean, how many competing airforces does one country have?). Some noteworthy findings of the inquiry are:
- that hospitals and public housing institutions are among the big players in this bonus game;
- that while many bonuses are ex ante linked to meeting pretty clear goals, the ex post level of accountability as to the ultimate payment is mixed (sounds familiar eh); and
- that quite some bonus payments are merger related -- hey, we're not talking private sector M&A dynamics here, but covering these supposedly boring public sector vehicles.
These amounts may not be shocking to some, which isn't difficult if eyebrows are only raised when we start to reach the multi-multi-multi-million Dollar range (which in turn surely isn't the Dutch attitude). But they're still considerable from a non-private sector perspective.
Interesting subject, ditto outcomes. Keep it coming.
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