Arun Sarin, the former head of Vodafone, received £500,000 to help him move home to the US when he quit the group last May.

The payout, which was revealed today in the group's annual report, saw the Indian-American's total package in his final year hit £8.1 million.

The figure is expected to anger unions and the workers who have been axed from the group during a recent purge. It will be particularly galling given that the group's performance took a turn for the worse shortly after Mr Sarin's departure. Vodafone's shares, last year, plumbed depths not seen since the aftermath of the dotcom crash.

As part of efforts to slash costs by £1 billion Vodafone axed 500 UK jobs this year. Last year, 450 senior management were cut.

When he announced his shock departure from the group Mr Sarin said he wanted a sabbatical to "goof about."

The former head's pay was made-up of basic salary of £436,000, a bonus of £434,000 and long-term bonuses paid in shares worth £6.1 million.

As the recession has set-in, investors have become increasingly vocal about the substantial payouts to company chiefs.

Earlier today Sir Martin Sorrell, the head of WPP, the media giant, was dealt an embarrassing blow when nearly a quarter of investors failed to support a £60 million bonus plan. Last month Shell's remuneration report was voted down.

In a bid to assuage investor ire Vodafone has already announced a company-wide pay freeze this year. Vittorio Colao, the group's new head, will receive £932,000 in basic salary this year, the same as he received last year.

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