National railway operator DSB came under fire after it announced that its new managing director would receive an annual salary of 4.5 million kroner.

The traffic spokesperson for Dansk Folkeparti (DF), Kim Christiansen, said the salary given to new managing director Jesper Lok sends a bad signal at a time when DSB is undergoing cutbacks.

“I must admit that I have a problem when DSB’s new managing director can look forward to an annual salary of 4.5 million kroner plus benefits in the middle of a time of crisis where DSB is in the midst of mass firings and extensive cutbacks,” Christiansen said. “I can’t understand how DSB can allow itself to send a signal that they can afford exorbitant salaries at the top while firing at the bottom.”

In a press release, DSB announced that Lok would be looking to bring “simple solutions to complex challenges” to the beleaguered state-owned company, which prior to Lok had seen three managing directors come and go in 2011 alone.

The company’s woes continued on Monday just hours after the announcement of Lok’s hire when employees at a number of DSB repair shops walked out on their jobs over dissatisfaction with their work environment. The estimated 600-700 employees, located in Aarhus and Fredericia, were due to return to their jobs tomorrow morning, according to their joint union representative.

Lok comes to DSB from the shipping company Svitzer, where he had been managing director since 2004. At DSB, he will be overseeing a company with over 9,000 employees.