Bank workers stage bonuses protest

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Workers from banks including HBOS and Lloyds travelled to London ahead of the Select Committee grilling of bank executives.

The workers held up banners which read: "Remember us? You've put our jobs at risk."

Rhianne Parsons, 31, who works for Lloyds TSB in Newport, South Wales, said most bank workers only received a few hundred pounds a year in bonuses which they relied on to top up their salary.

"We don't get the huge bonuses earned by the chief executives who are responsible for the current crisis in banking.

"They are the ones who have caused the problems yet they are still reaping the benefits of huge pay. We have to work really hard for our bonus but the bosses seem to get theirs whatever happens."

Miss Parsons, whose partner lost his job at Lloyds TSB as part of cost-cutting, said the average bank worker was only paid between £11,000 and £12,000 a year and would be lucky to get a bonus of a few hundred pounds.

Glenn Miller, who works for HBOS in Edinburgh, said: "Our message today is that these executives should apologise to bank workers. I hope today's committee hearing is the start of a process to clear up this mess and get rid of some of the bad practices in the industry."

Mr Miller said workers had to achieve targets before they were paid their bonus, unlike executives.

Bernadette Fisher, secretary of the Lloyds Group of the Unite union, which organised the protest, said: "There is a false impression that all bank workers earn huge amounts of money and get massive bonuses but that it just not correct."