Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard (M) wants a statement from the energy industry in the case of the bonuses that two employees at Energi Danmark have earned. This is reported by Jyllands-Posten on Monday.
According to the media, the two employees have earned bonuses of 250 and 300 million kroner respectively. According to the minister, this is out of proportion.
- Bonuses of this size are out of proportion in my opinion, and that is why I am calling on the industry to explain the matter, says Lars Aagaard to Ritzau.
Changed my mind
On Sunday, the minister would not otherwise interfere in the energy companies' salaries. He still maintains that it is and should be the companies themselves who decide how they pay their employees.
- But I would encourage the industry to assess whether their remuneration models are compatible with the trust it wants the owners and customers to have in the industry's work, and with the recommendations for good corporate governance that the industry has adopted, the minister states in a written response.
The hefty bonuses are earned in Energi Danmark, which, for example, trades electricity on the energy market. Energi Danmark is owned by the companies Andel and Nrgi. According to Jyllands-Posten, Andel will not pay bonuses in the double and triple digits.
On Sunday, Lars Aagaard told Jyllands-Posten that consumers are free to change suppliers if they are supplied by a company that pays bonuses of a size that they find unreasonable.
- We have free wage formation in Denmark, he said in a written response on Sunday.
- It is not the government that sets the wages in the energy companies. The management does this in cooperation with the board of directors - and the board of directors in cooperation with the owners. It is a good and healthy principle.
However, the minister also urged the boards of directors to follow the recommendations on good corporate governance. Jyllands-Posten's revelation has prompted several parties to react. They want legislation in the area and more transparency from the companies.
/ritzau/
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