Hi everyone,

I just read a rather interesting article ... It seems as if those with executive jobs in banking and finance will not be affected by the looming pay freezes that are expected to hit our industry!

According to the recent Executive Reward Survey - Finance Directors are the only top dogs who will be receiving salary increases this year.

Not to suprising really. It is usually only the top dogs who escape the pay freezes, redundances or really any other problem that effects the smaller fish in the pond.

Not much that anyone can do about it and I'm sure it won't be changing any time in the near future.

Are there any bankers or finance worker's unions? I'm new to the industry and would be interested in finding out more. Bank and finance workers need to stand up to the big bosses!

Hehehe, I can see you're just as cynical as me!

I'm all for paying bankers what they're worth, but there seems to be a massive salary gap between finance execs and those working run-of-the-mill banking and finance jobs... and nothing - not even the crisis or job cuts across the country - seems about to stop this gap from getting wider.

There is a great big gap and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

If they were to be paid what they are worth they would have to start by giving at least half of their salary back every month.

There is a Union for Banking, Insurance and Finance Workers but like most unions they are fairly useless. They are the ones that have helped retail banking staff become some of the lowest workers on the high street.

The best they can do is offer advice if you get into a dispute with your employer. I am afraid the days of collective bargaining ending about two decades ago.

Lets face it the Government now owns much of the banks (bought with our money) and they can't even stand up to the banks.

Our government can't even stand up to EU watchdogs. Now that we've signed over power to the EU financial regulations body, our City is going to be controlled by everyone but our government. I wonder what the next few years hold?

I know, it's answers on a postcard time, me thinks.

The big worry for me is this "narrow bank" nonsense that has been invented by the Treasury. It will add no value and will only duplicate what we already have through smaller institutions.

Do you think Europe are seizing the opportunity to erode the one thing we had left?

I am still undecided, but the cynical part of me wants to say Yes!

If we lose our financial industry, I'm not sure whether we'll ever get out of this mess. I think the UK needs to stop pointing fingers at the banks and start working synergistically with the City!!!