'Huge pay rises for the university bosses who lectured on austerity' says the Independent today in its headline. They are not alone in their observations.
Vice Chancellors of most universities, including our very own Don Nutbeam accepted inflation busting pay-rises whilst simultaneously stating that there was not enough money in the pot for pay rises of more than a 1% for staff at pay-points lower than his own.
We will have had our 1% back-pay awarded in the last pay packet - I don't know about you but mine is not going to come even close to covering this winter's heating bill.
Remember October? Remember our first day of strike? Below, you see a picture of Don Nutbeam talking to UNISON executive members Anna Lyons (Branch Secretary) and Karin Jäzosch (Communications Officer). He is pointing out that we are mistaken in our belief that there is any money in the pot for pay rises and that our demand for fair pay could only be met at the expense of our colleagues' jobs.
The hypocrisy of Vice Chancellors accepting breathtaking pay rises whilst saying that Higher Education cannot afford to pay a fair wage to lower payed staff has not escaped the attention of the national press. Have a look at what the papers are saying about Vice Chancellors' pay in general and Don Nutbeam's in particular...
BBC News:
"Many vice-chancellors have talked down to their staff and told them to accept a 1% rise - representing yet another real-terms pay cut - as it is the best they can expect, while happily pocketing big sums themselves" (Read more here)The Guardian:
At the University of Southampton, where it is reported the vice-chancellor received a £19,000 pay increase in 2012-13, the student union (Susu) president David Gilani says: "Susu's priority is ensuring that the university can pay the living wage to its employees. Hopefully the university can show that the increase in pay for their vice-chancellor can coexist with increases for their lowest paid staff." (Read more here)The Independent:
Rises for the 19 Russell Group members who replied to a survey by the Times Higher Education magazine included £20,000 extra for Cambridge University vice-chancellor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz. It brought his remuneration package up to £334,000. Don Nutbeam, of Southampton University was awarded £19,015 extra - bringing his package up to £333, 515. (Read more here)The Telegraph:
The disclosure comes after an analysis by The Telegraph of accounts published before Christmas found that a series of university heads, both in and outside the Russell Group, received double-digit pay rises last year, with many receiving five-figure increases. The figures prompted Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, to warn that taxpayers expected “some degree of restraint” in salaries given the public subsidies for universities and an ongoing public sector pay freeze. (Read more here)Times Higher Education:
Don Nutbeam, vice-chancellor of the University of Southampton, enjoyed a £19,015 rise in emoluments in 2012-13, which took his salary to £294,000 and overall pay package to £333,615.Not every Vice Chancellor is at the trough though...
That pay rise came as Southampton saw a 13 per cent drop in undergraduate acceptances – the largest fall in recruitment of any Russell Group institution.
Professor Nutbeam’s pay was “in line with other Russell Group vice-chancellors” and had increased only once since 2009, a spokesman said. (Read more here)
Times Higher Education:
Two London university leaders have chosen not to accept large pay rises as national unrest over a 1 per cent pay offer for rank-and-file staff continues.
Simon Gaskell, principal of Queen Mary University of London, is to donate a £50,000 pay rise to a scholarship fund at his institution, while City University London vice-chancellor Paul Curran will forgo a £42,000 performance-related bonus.
The moves mean that their salaries were frozen at £203,000 and £280,000, respectively, for 2012-13, with neither leader accepting a pay hike in the past three years. (Read more here)
