UK company executive directors saw their basic salaries rise faster in 2000 than in 1999, despite worsening market conditions, according to a report out by Executive Remuneration Review.

The average basic salary of chief executives in the top 30 FTSE 100 companies was £600,000 (€969,000) last year, rising to just over £800,000 at the median when including their annual bonus payments, according to the report.