Wessex Water CEO Gets 14% Pay Rise Amid Bonus Ban

Wessex Water awarded its chief executive an above-inflation pay increase in October 2023, even as the company was prohibited from paying bonuses due to sewage spills. Ruth Jefferson's base salary rose by 14%, from £590,000 to £670,000, before other benefits. This increase significantly outpaced the 3.5% raise given to the company's workers. Jefferson's total remuneration reached £791,000, placing her pay at 18 times that of Wessex Water's median employee. The company's accounts, published this month, detail these figures. The decision to grant a substantial pay rise to the CEO while the company faced penalties for environmental failures has drawn criticism from unions, with representatives stating the public is "sick of obscene pay" and executives "feathering their own nests."