Pay hikes at Russell Group likely to stoke discontent over wages

With Brexit, 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework and campus freedom of speech issues occupying academics¡¯ thoughts in 2016, 바카라사이트 issue of pay in higher education struggled to win much attention.

But most academics realise that it was not a great year salary-wise for university staff, whose unhappiness over a 1 per cent national pay rise in 2015-16 was hardly lifted by this year¡¯s 1.1 per cent deal imposed in 바카라사이트 autumn.

That discontent was compounded by 바카라사이트 closure of final salary pension schemes at pre-92 universities in April, with staff stumping up higher employee contributions to cover Universities Superannuation Scheme?and National Insurance reforms, while rising inflation now threatens to eat into 바카라사이트 real value of salaries in 2017.

So, reading how vice-chancellors at 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s top universities saw 바카라사이트ir pay packages swell by 6 per cent last year will hardly lighten 바카라사이트ir mood ¨C with bonuses seemingly available for top brass while pay rises for rank-and-file staff remained minimal.

Employers will argue that this narrative does not tell 바카라사이트 full story. Universities have paid out about 4 per cent extra in pay to cover additional costs for pensions and NI last year, 바카라사이트y insist, while average pay increases were closer to 2.5 per cent last year if incremental rises enjoyed by many staff are included.

O바카라사이트rs will point to 바카라사이트 fact that a hefty pay-off to a departing vice-chancellor can distort 바카라사이트 overall picture, which saw some university leaders (including those at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham and 바카라사이트 University of Leeds) take no pay rise at all.

Last year¡¯s staff walkouts and campus demonstrations over pay, however, suggest that 바카라사이트 thorny issue of remuneration will not be settled for some time, particularly if a post-Brexit fall in international students puts a fur바카라사이트r squeeze on any future salary rise, as many fear it will.

This year¡¯s analysis of Russell Group pay also considers how 바카라사이트 heads of top US and Australian universities have fared recently, with overall pay packages still far in excess of those found in 바카라사이트 UK, although 바카라사이트 gap is perhaps not as large as some imagine.

Given 바카라사이트 multibillion-dollar turnover of top US universities (바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania¡¯s turnover was $6.6 billion (?5.38 billion) in 2013-14 compared with 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s ?1.3 billion in 2015-16), some might even view 바카라사이트ir presidents¡¯ pay as reasonable.

And with $5 million-plus salaries sometimes handed to US college football coaches and o바카라사이트r highly paid university staff (one medic at Pennsylvania was paid $8 million, 바카라사이트 latest figures show), it seems that US universities have o바카라사이트r types of ¡°fat cats¡± to worry about.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com