Calls have been made for an inquiry into how the Scottish Government-owned ferry fiasco shipyard firm is spending public money - as was revealed he is getting £45-a-day for living in Scotland.
The Herald understands that the amount the new interim chief executive John Petticrew is receiving by way of "living allowance while in Scotland" will have amounted to £2,700 over the last 60 days since he took over.
Over the duration of his six month interim position the consultant could accumulate over £8000 on top of his £100,000 half year earnings.
One ferry user group official who wants an inquiry into Ferguson Marine spending said the payment was "absurd".
It comes as Ferguson Marine and Scottish Government denied that taxpayers were picking up the tab for him to commute to and from his home in Canada.
Ferguson Marine say that when he was asked to come to Scotland from Canada to take up the interim chief executive's position, his economy flight to Scotland was paid for by the state-controlled company.
They say he has not travelled to Canada since he took up the role and has "no plans to do so".
Mr Petticrew took over as Ferguson Marine interim chief executive in March after former chief executive David Tydeman was ditched amid mounting delays in the long-running ferries fiasco.
The travel-to work expenses come as concerns continue to dog the yard delivering two long-delayed and wildly over budget ferries over how it is handling it is handling the millions in public money that is being pumped into it every year.
There are concerns over an apparent failure to complete a review into a bonuses scandal that has rocked Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow).
It all comes after the Herald revealed that Ferguson's made a unanimous decision to sack Mr Tydeman but still decided to give him a 'golden goodbye' worth well over £100,000.
The former £232,500-a-year executive has received the equivalent of six months’ salary plus outstanding holiday payment as part of an agreement over his sacking.
Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson said he had previously asked in a written question about Mr Petticrew’s relocation expenses but was told he wasn’t getting any, as he lived in Canada.
He said: “I was told his remuneration package includes a ‘travel and subsistence allowance’.
Mr Tydeman was fired on March 26 after a tumultuous two years at the helm of the nationalised shipyard after he told ministers there would be even further delays to two long-delayed and wildly over budget ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa being built for state-owned ferry operator CalMac at the Inverclyde yard.
Andrew Miller, the chairman of Ferguson Marine said in confirming that departure of Mr Tydeman that the company needed "strong leadership" to ensure its long-term future.
Mr Tydeman was at the centre of another controversy when the Herald revealed last year he got an estimated £20,000 golden hello while standing to gain up to £80,000 in bonus payments.
The Ferguson Marine Glasgow (Port Glasgow) chief executive received £1000 a day for just over eight weeks work at the start of his time with the nationalised company thanks to a salary boost.
The chairman of FMPG has said that last year that controversial bonuses were expected to continue to be paid - despite the First Minister saying hat he did not expect them to continue.
Mr Miller who was leading a review into the payment structure, said the bonuses were "retention payments" and that senior managers were legally entitled to them under their employment contracts.
A secret bonus bill to Ferguson Marine management reached £134,218 over two years, while the two ferries - Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa- are still to be delivered with costs expected to quadruple from the original £97m contract.
Mr Tydeman, who was on a £205,000-a-year basic salary received around £57,500 for the first two months of his appointment - over £20,000 more than the pro-rata rate.
Ferguson Marine's financial records did not show that Mr Tydeman received any further bonuses in the two months and that the payment was pure salary.
It was confirmed the extra payments in terms of salary were given in the form of "recruitment costs" and a relocation package for Mr Tydeman establishing a base in the local area.
He was eligible to gain a 30% bonus for the 2022/23 financial year before he left.
Some £87,000 was paid to certain members of the management team for performance in 2021/22 with a further £47,000 more expected in 2022/23.
There was a further outcry over the £2000-a-day remuneration, made up of fees and expenses given to Ferguson Marine's previous Scottish Government-appointed turnaround director Tim Hair who left his post in February, 2022.
The Scottish Government defended the payments to Mr Hair as being "in the middle of the industry norm".
One ferry user group official said that the handling of public funds by Ferguson Marine is "a scandal that has to be dealt with by a public inquiry".
"It is beyond belief that the bonuses are in place at a time when nobody would consider that they were worthy," he said. "Now it seems that the yard, which don't forget is owned by the Scottish Government and paid for by us the taxpayer, is continuing to run roughshod over what is right in terms of financial handling. It is absurd that someone gets a payment for living in Scotland.
"In the meantime it is ferry users that suffer through a failure in ferry capacity and resilience."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The interim Chief Executive of Ferguson Marine's remuneration package includes a travel and subsistence allowance for work related travel only.
"Ferguson Marine paid for the interim CEO to travel to Scotland in March. In line with his contractual obligations, the CEO of Ferguson Marine will not return to Canada within his six month tenure."
Ministers say the interim chief executive's remuneration package was approved by ministers "in line with the requirements of the Scottish Public Finance Manual".
A Ferguson Marine source said: "Mr Petticrew has not travelled to Canada since he took up the interim CEO role, and has no plans to do so. His priority is completing and handing over both vessels as quickly as possible."
Management bonuses are said to be in two parts, 7.5% to be paid upon delivery of the hull of the Glen Sannox and “a further 10% discretionary element”.
The payments have been made despite the Scottish Government's public sector pay policy maintaining a suspension of performance related bonuses since the shipyard firm was nationalised in 2019.
It did not apply to the shipbuilding firm, because ministers decided it did not have to comply, and remains off the long list of public sector bodies that are covered by the pay rules.
This was confirmed in an agreed operations framework with the shipbuilders.
It comes as state-controlled CalMac was given a year-long extension to its contract to run Scots lifeline ferry services following delays over deciding on their long-term future.
The Scottish Government has confirmed that that it will be unable to conclude its investigations into whether CalMac should get the contract "in propriety" in time for the conclusion of the current deal ending on September 30, 2024.
The transport minister Fiona Hyslop is now planning to give CalMac a year-long extension of up to 12 months to enable them to conclude their work.
CalMac has previously admitted there is a material uncertainty over its future as a going concern because of questions remaining over whether it will continue to run lifeline island services.
The Scottish Government's preferred option has been to provide an uncontested direct public contract to CalMac, the ferry operator it owns, to run the ageing ferry fleet without going through a competitive tendering process. But it has been opposed by its community board and no decision has yet been taken by ministers.
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