The statement noted that Barberâs deal had come to light âat the end of a year dominated by pay restraint and job cutsâ and demanded that the company provide âfull transparency about all senior executive pay and performance targetsâ.
A spokesperson for the newspaper defended the salary portion of the package as âcontractual, performance-related payâ.
FT staff appeared to broadly back the unionâs stance, with one employee telling the Guardian: âThere is total fury that this happenedâ. Another called the level of Barberâs pay âgobsmacking, considering how tightly more junior people are being squeezed nowâ.
Others were more sympathetic to Barber. One argued that âhe did a brilliant job of turning the FT round and making it profitable in the 14 years of his leadership and was a great editorâ. They said the view of staff when the pay award came up on an internal zoom call âwas very much, âIâm actually cool with this, he deserved itââ.