• Sweden edition
Business & Money

Volvo pay raise 'insulting': Reinfeldt

Published: 2 Mar 09 08:25 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/17924/20090302/

Volvo Group’s plan to raise the salaries of 250 top executives is “insulting” according to Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

“This is obviously provocative, given that the company has problems,” the Prime Minister said on Sveriges Television (SVT) Sunday night.

Volvo’s compensation committee wants to raise the ceiling for bonuses and for the company’s stock option programme.

At Volvo’s upcoming annual meeting on April 1st, the compensation committee plans to propose raising the ceiling for the "performance-based variable salary" of 250 executives from 50 percent to a maximum of 60 percent of their fixed salaries.

It also proposed raising the maximum allotment of shares to senior executives by 50 percent, it added.

Charges of greediness and bad timing have emerged as the company struggles with difficult market conditions.

At the same time as a pay raise is planned for Volvo Group executives, the company is planning to lay off 7,700 people in Sweden, where it employs a total of 30,000 workers.

Now Reinfeldt has added his voice to the chorus of criticism, pointing out that Volvo asked the state for economic support – and was turned down.

“Now we have yet another argument [against Volvo receiving state aid] – there are obviously resources available at the company,” he told SVT, adding he found the proposal “insulting”.

Christer Gardell, head of the Cevian venture capital firm, Volvo’s major shareholder, called Volvo’s proposed execute pay raise “totally crazy”.

“As the main owner it makes me angry to hear these arguments” for boosting executive pay, Gardell told SVT.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

Fark It! Digg This  Share everywhere
Send to a friend Printable version Twitter This
Business & Money headlines
Saab shares dive despite strong 2011 report

Saab shares dive despite strong 2011 report

Swedish defence group Saab on Friday reported a major boost in earnings for 2011 thanks to winning several major contracts, but a drop in orders left investors jittery, sending Saab's stock price down nearly 10 percent. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Mats Sundin in massive kid's health research gift

Mats Sundin in massive kid's health research gift

Mats Sundin, the ex-Swedish hockey great, has made a donation supporting research into children's health at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and the University of Toronto. READ (4 COMMENTS) »

H&M under fire over Cambodia mass faintings

H&M under fire over Cambodia mass faintings

H&M has been criticized for choosing not to attend a hearing to highlight poor conditions for textile workers in Cambodia, where hundreds of employees at a plant run by the Swedish fashion giant mysteriously passed out in August. READ (6 COMMENTS) »

SAS earnings hit by Spanair bankruptcy

SAS earnings hit by Spanair bankruptcy

The bankruptcy of Spanair pulled SAS into the red for 2011, despite improved operating profits, the Scandinavian airline reported on Wednesday. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Saab to cut Swiss Gripen fighter price: report

Saab to cut Swiss Gripen fighter price: report

Swedish defence group Saab have announced that it will cut the price on its Gripen fighter jet to secure its Swiss order after a threat by French planemaker Dassault to undercut them. READ (5 COMMENTS) »

A file image of a worker at a Volvo Cars assembly plant

Few Swedes ready to work until they're 75: poll

An overwhelming majority of Swedes disagree with Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's suggestion that workers should be ready to stay on the job until they are 75, a new poll shows. READ (34 COMMENTS) »

SAAB BANKRUPT
Several bids for Saab: administrator

Several bids for Saab: administrator

Several companies are interested in buying Saab, confirmed the bankrupt Swedish carmaker's administrators on Tuesday, while currently unwilling to disclose the identities of the bidders. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

US ISPs block hacker probes: Swedish police

US ISPs block hacker probes: Swedish police

The Swedish National Police Board has called for new international laws to catch hackers on the internet, after US internet service providers refused to divulge information on the weekend's attack on government websites. READ (5 COMMENTS) »

Fire brigade slammed for 'renting out' rooms

Emergency services in Gothenburg have come under fire recently after it came to light that a fire station had been renting out rooms to visiting colleagues. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Kinnevik in bid to buy up publisher Metro

Kinnevik in bid to buy up publisher Metro

Swedish investment firm Kinnevik has made an offer to buy up Metro International, a global publisher of free newspapers. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

More Business & Money

Highlights from Follow Sweden

20 things to know before moving to Sweden

As diverse as Sweden is, there are a few societal norms that are distinctly Swedish. Understanding a handful of them will hopefully prepare you culturally before you relocate. When you're invited home to a Swede, you better be on time and take your shoes off, writes expat Lola Akinmade-Åkerström. Read more »

How far can English take you in Sweden?

Sweden is a country where almost everyone can speak English. So why bother to learn Swedish? Edina Varnagy from Hungary managed with English for a whole year but then found that Swedish could open doors – to a job, a social life and greater understanding. Read more »


Find a new job in Sweden now
12/02 Head of Risk Management
SJR AB
Lund
12/02 Database Administrator (Oracle), Skanska IT Nordic
Kornboden Resurs AB
STHM
11/02 Executive Assistant
Vattenfall
STHM
11/02 Press Secretary
Vattenfall
STHM
11/02 Security Software Developer
Clavister
Örnsköldsvik
11/02 Area Product Manager Denmark
Anton Paar Nordic AB
Köpenhamn/Odense
11/02 Test Engineer
Clavister
Örnsköldsvik
10/02 YOUNG TALENT PROGRAM - DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER
Tetra Pak
Lund
10/02 Vill du arbeta som helpdesk tekniker i en internationell miljö?
Poolia AB
Stockholm
10/02 YOUNG TALENT PROGRAM - AUTOMATION ENGINEER
Tetra Pak
Lund

ALL JOBS »


Latest Business & Money news from Germany
Doctor of Psychology
Therapy in English in Stockholm Trained in California Individuals & Couples (08) 93 81 48 FREE phone consultation
Visit anxiousorblue.se
Get on the Tennis Court with www.babolatshop.se
The new Online Tennis Store with the largest selection of Babolat Products in Sweden
http://www.babolatshop.se
Turning Point Counseling
Turning Point Counselling centre offers the international community of Stockholm a safe space for personal development, counselling and coaching.
http://www.turning-point.se/show.asp
Swedish Down Town
Swedish Down Town PR Consulting and Productions is an innovative business company which provides valuable assistance with Public Relations and Communications in the swedish and the international market.
www.swedishdowntown.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
English Speaking Therapist Stockholm
British-Australian Male Counsellor. Counselling Therapy for Depression, Mental Health, Sex, Relationship & Expat Issues
08-559 22 636 or CLICK HERE
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now