Directors at British Waterways, the organisation which is making plans to become a charity, have been criticised for awarding themselves bonus payments of as much as £15,000.

The Unite trade union said its members were “appalled” to hear of the bonuses, when they had received pay awards of between £100 and £200 instead of a rise in 2011.

The union said British Waterways’ chief executive Robin Evans will receive a £15,000 bonus on top of his £220,000 annual salary, while other directors will receive payments of £12,500.

Julia Long, a national officer at Unite, said the pay awards show “nothing but contempt for the workforce”.

She added: “We call on British Waterways’ management to urgently reconsider its decision which has alienated workers, and to use this money much more productively.

“The government has reduced the amount of money provided to British Waterways over the next five years, which we believe is not enough to sustain any growth.

“To use this money to award massive bonus payments to management simply beggars belief.”

Finances ‘better than expected’

In a statement, British Waterways (BW) said its finances last year had ended £9.6m up on the amount planned, due to “better commercial performance and significant savings in cost”.

It said: “As a result, BW was able to maintain expenditure on maintenance and repair at similar levels to previous years despite the government’s cut in grant.”

It added: “The board was delighted with these results and wished to recognise the exceptional contribution made by certain staff, including executive directors.

“Accordingly, and in strict adherence to government guidelines, they decided that capped performance-related payments should be made.

“In total some 215 people (12 per cent of the workforce) will receive a PRP payment.”