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One of the big merchant banks has resumed paying big bonuses to its executives and there are reports that other people involved in the financial rescue of banks are to receive big sums too. Are these payments justified for good performance? Or should there be a limit on the amount that can be paid in bonuses?

I don’t think bonuses should be limited but I do believe that significant bonuses to employees should be in the form of shares that cannot be traded for five years.
Simon Glover, Kingston Upon Thames

I do not think the bank is displaying the caution recent events call for. Do they think the recession is over? I do not.
Sylvain Jamais, Ely, Cambs

In an ideal world the bankers and politicians who brought about this mess would be sued for negligence.
Steve Henderson, Birmingham

Wasn’t it the greediness of a few that has caused misery for millions? Have they not learnt anything from the last 12 months? Obviously not, business as usual, eh? We all know what rhymes with merchant banker.
Victor Smyth, Halifax, West Yorkshire

I don’t believe limits can be imposed on bonuses paid to individuals in private companies so it’s a moot point. However, should the payment of bonuses that encourage risk-taking lead us back to where we are now there should be no state handouts or bailouts for these organisations. They should be allowed to go to the wall just like any other bankrupt business.
Ian M Turner, Wilmslow, Cheshire

I will not believe that bonus payments are related to performance until counter staff and cleaners receive similar sums. Measures should instead be taken to reduce the ratio between the greatest and the lowest pay in a company.
Andreas Sarker, Lichfield, Staffs

We delude ourselves to suggest bonuses have any connection to good performance. They are simply snouts in the trough.
William Wells, Cookham, Berks

Why should there be any bonuses anyway? People should perform to the best of their ability and produce a good day’s work for a good day’s pay.
Ron Street, Duffield, Derby

Bonuses of a reasonable percentage of salary for being in the top quartile or decile are OK, especially if they are looking after my pension. Outrageous bonuses for following the market are a problem for the company, the investors and the shareholders.
Tim Mitchell, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire

I despise trial by media and attempts to retrospectively revise the personal contracts of specific individuals or certain professions. Surely the answer is to give future rewards to individuals based on long-term performance of the business.
Simon Vaughan, Banchory, Aberdeen

The new chief executive of RBS says that paying bonuses is in the public interest as the people necessary to sort out the problem need to be rewarded. These are of course the same people who created the problem. Surely, another word for this practice is “blackmail”.
Simon Jennings, Axminster, Devon

Bonuses should only be paid after my pension and investments have returned to their former glory.
Stephen Rees, Cheadle, Cheshire

If the bonuses were not paid then good people would leave the UK banking sector and go and work in other countries and the UK sector would take longer to recover.
Simon Schofield, Nottingham

It is morally incumbent on government to outlaw bonuses in favour of long-term rewards.
Simon O’Connor, Poole, Dorset

The problem with bonuses in banking is that they appear to be unreasonably large factors of unfeasibly huge salaries and nobody has the faintest idea what they actually do for this enormous reward.
Steve Downward, Cheltenham, Glos

If life were fair, reward would be in proportion to effort and to scarcity of a skill or ability. Since life isn’t fair, and I don’t have time to change the education system or the free market, I find little point in being upset by every injustice.
Timothy Chance, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire

Bonuses are justified for good performance and I support them. However, they should be capped to prevent grossly disproportionate and immorally inflated payouts.
Steve Rowell, Newcastle upon Tyne

My bonus is job satisfaction because when I succeed the only bonus I am entitled to is knowing the company will continue to succeed.
Laurence Wood, Scarborough, North Yorks

To pay people immense financial rewards when their company has been thrown a lifeline by the taxpayer is immoral and shows a criminal lack of corporate and social responsibility.
Scott Williams, Bracknell, Berks

Is it right that one person receives a bonus big enough to buy the average house four or five times over, while those below may only receive a couple of hundred pounds? If bonus schemes are to be used, then the payout should be of a standard value.
Steve Smith, Darlington, Co Durham

They are being rewarded to rebuild what they have in effect destroyed.
Taimore Afzal, Birmingham

If you reconsider the bonuses as compensation for the new social stigma of being a banker, it’s not nearly so galling.
Steve Peet, Bristol

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