By Julia Charlton, Branch Chair, Northumbria University.
UCU report 'transparency at the top? Senior pay and perks in UK universities, UCU March 2015': http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/0/0/ucu_transparencyatthetop_mar15.pdf
In January 2014, UCU wrote to business secretary Vince Cable and universities minister David Willetts to highlight the escalation of vice-chancellors' salaries for the academic year of 2012/13 and reminded them of the government's strong words on excessive pay at the top of UK universities.
In response to the letter, David Willetts said universities should be free to set the operation of their remuneration committee as they see fit, and that there were already lists of vice-chancellors' pay in the public domain. However, he did suggest universities may be required to provide a remuneration report as is now the norm in many public and private sector companies.
Pay and expenses key findings
Of the responses received, the greatest amount spent on flights in the academic year 2013/14 by a vice-chancellor was £59,812 and the average was £9,706 (Northumbria spent £10,156.94). Two-thirds of all flights were taken in business or first class.
Vice-chancellors spent an average of £3,202 on hotels in the year, with five spending more than £10,000 (Northumbria spent £5,273.49). The average annual personal expenses bill was also just over £3,000 at £3,113. However, 10 vice-chancellors received more than £10,000 for the year and four claimed more than £20,000. The highest individual bill was £33,526. In 2013/14, the average vice-chancellor salary for 2013/14 was £260,290. Eighteen Vice Chancellors enjoyed a pay increase of more than 10%, while the largest increase was 70.2%. On average, vice-chancellors were paid 6.4 times more than an average member of their staff (at Northumbria it is 7.5 times). The union's data also found that 20 institutions had more than 100 members of staff earning over £100,000 a year.
What happens at Northumbria University?
- Top 20 spenders on air fares – Northumbria were not in this list, meaning we were lower down the queue, with no first class flights recorded.
- Top 20 spenders on hotel accommodation – Northumbria was 18th - Professor Andrew Wathey spent £ 5,273.49 on hotel stays last year.
- Vice-chancellors' expenses – Northumbria University management used an exemption under FOI so this was not declared. [Section 22 Information Intended for Future Publication].
- Vice-chancellors' emoluments (including benefits in kind and pension contributions) in the year ending 31 July 2014? The university replied that Professor Andrew Wathey was paid £300,000 in total pay and expenses, meaning he was the 34th highest rewarded VC. He was given £296,000 in 2012-13, suggesting a pay rise of 1.3%. However, the number of times Northumbria University V C's salary is greater than average staff salary by 7.5.
- Top 20 spenders on senior post-holders' pay – Northumbria was not in this list, but we have a total of 26 employees earning £100,000- £399,999.
- Remuneration committee – only 5 people are involved in deciding the VC's pay and legitimate expenses, and one of them is the VC himself, and no minutes are published. This secrecy is problematic for fair university governance.
