TRANSPORT company Arriva was drawn into a "fat cat" row last night, after details of the pay packet given to its top director emerged.

Chief executive Bob Davies was paid a salary of £316,000, last year, plus a bonus of £201,000 and "benefits in kind" of £23,627, a total of £541,352.

In the previous financial year, Mr Davies was paid £527,459.

The financial incentives he has received have enraged unions who are battling for better pay for conductors working at Arriva subsidiary Arriva Trains Northern.

The Rail Maritime and Transport Union has called a series of strikes in recent months in a long-running dispute with the company.

Another 48-hour walkout is planned on May 3 and 4.

Last night, Bob Crow, the union's general secretary, said: "Bob Davies has well and truly joined the fat cats. He still has the cheek to tell conductors that they should not expect equal treatment.

''Arriva drivers have been paid 18 per cent, shareholders have been given a dividend increase of five per cent, yet our conductors have been told to make do with a three per cent basic pay increase.

''Arriva told us last week that we did not understand the business. We understand the business perfectly - there is one rule for them and another for the rest of us."

A spokeswoman for Arriva said its remuneration policy for its executive directors was to ensure they were "highly motivated and fairly rewarded" for their contribution to the group's performance.

She said that bonuses paid to executive directors were on average three per cent higher than those paid in the previous year, reflecting both business and personal performance.

The news reignited protests over executive pay after last week's disclosure that Sir Brian Moffat, chairman of steel company Corus, saw his annual basic salary increase by more than £256,000 to £558,846 during the past 12 months.

This was despite his firm cutting more than 6,000 steel-making jobs across the UK, including more than 1,100 on Teesside.

A recent TUC study found that bosses' pay rose by three times the rate of other staff between 1994 and 2001