Global engineering group Worley has narrowly avoided a strike against its remuneration report as investors question why the company is paying big bonuses to executives but not raising dividends for shareholders.

Some 21 per cent of votes cast at Thursday’s annual general meeting were opposed to the remuneration report, just shy of the 25 per cent required for a strike. If a company receives two consecutive strikes, it must hold a vote asking investors whether they want to spill the board.