Letter : On the up at work

Sir: The current unease about remuneration for top management reminds me of a friend whose family business was taken over some 20 years ago. At the conclusion of the first board meeting after the takeover, the man put in to run the company said that he would raise the issue of the future prospects of board members because he believed that "cream always rises to the top". My friend replied: "Yes, and scum has the same property."

Yours faithfully,

DEREK CHARMAN

Holcot, Northamptonshire