By Jonathan Davies
FTSE 100 bosses earn 183 times more than the average full-time employee, according to the High Pay Centre.
A report by the think tank found that FTSE 100 chief executives earn an average of £4.964 million, compared with the median £27,195 salary earned by full-time workers in 2014.
The pay gap increased only slightly from 2013, when CEOs earned 182 times more than employees. But it is a significant increase on just five years ago when bosses earned 160 times more.
"Pay packages of this size go far beyond what is sensible or necessary to reward and inspire top executives," said Deborah Hargreaves, director of the High Pay Centre.
"It's more likely that corporate governance structures in the UK are riddled with glaring weaknesses and conflicts of interest."
The High Pay Centre called for FTSE 100 companies to publish their individual figures on executive and worker pay. It also called for employees to be represented in negotiations over pay.
Business lobby group, the CBI, said high pay must only ever be justified by "exceptional performance".
In a statement, the CBI said: "In FTSE 100 firms and beyond, it's important that boards and shareholders hold the highest earners to account.
"Shareholders now have a vote on companies' pay policies and it is important that this is used effectively."
But there were those that leapt to the defence of highly paid bosses. The Adam Smith Institute, a free-market think tank, said: "CEO pay rewards extraordinary talent and skills in a highly competitive, globalised market.
"Good decision-making from the top might not be invaluable, but CEO pay reflects that it is as close to invaluable as one can get."
