More than 300 TfL staff earn £100k

TfL was accused of a 'loadsamoney culture' by unions

Hundreds of Transport for London staff earned more than £100,000 in the last year, the organisation's accounts have revealed.

Some 328 staff received at least that sum in 2012-13. The top salary package was £652,452.

The RMT union said the "loadsamoney culture" was "outrageous" at a time when fare rises were ongoing.

TfL claims the sums are "lower end pay" compared to other transport operators and are needed to attract good staff.

The accounts also reveal big bonuses paid to transport chiefs as a reward for the Olympics passing uneventfully.

'Lower end' pay

Performance awards for top staff for 2010-11 and 2011-12 were deferred, with payment contingent on a successful games.

Transport Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy received a performance award of £168,640 for 2011-12 as well as an award of £150,366 for 2010-11.

London Underground managing director Mike Brown got £88,936 for 2011-12 and £75,010 for 2010-11.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union, said: "With transport taking a massive hit in the spending review, and with job cuts and fare increases looming large, it is outrageous that the top brass across TfL are raking in such huge bonuses.

"RMT will take the loadsamoney culture at the top into full account as we make our own pay claims."

London Assembly Green Party member Jenny Jones added: "The mayor and the assembly have been clear that huge pay gaps are bad for society.

"The mayor should be trying to reduce the gulf between senior managers and the staff who run our buses, trains and roads."

A TfL spokesman responded: "The total remuneration of the Commissioner and chief officers remains at the lower end of that paid for similar jobs elsewhere in the transport and related industries where TfL competes with the private sector for high-quality staff."

The organisation said the total number of its staff who received remuneration of more than £100,000 included those paid above this amount due to severance payments.

Fares across London's transport network went up by 4.2% from January.