A row over salaries and benefits is threatening to derail the merger of the Dutch central bank and Holland's pension supervisory board.

Arnout Wellink, central bank governor, was awarded a salary of €390,900 ($472,000) last year plus a one-off payment of €582,000 ($705,000) whereas Dirk Witteveen, the chairman of the pension advisory board, earned a total of just €289,000 ($350,000).