Salaries of high-earning professors may be disclosed

Prized money: 바카라사이트 ICO ruled that King¡¯s should publish 바카라사이트 salary details of each of its 125 staff on more than ?100,000 per year

Salaries of high-earning professors and senior managers may soon be made public after a landmark ruling said that a university must publish details of staff who earn more than ?100,000 a year.

In a decision that may herald a new era of transparency in top university pay, 바카라사이트 Information Commissioner¡¯s Office said that King¡¯s College London should publish 바카라사이트 job title, department and salary band of each of its 125 staff who earn ?100,000 or more a year.

It follows a complaint to 바카라사이트 regulator, which adjudicates on data protection, privacy and freedom of information matters, after King¡¯s refused to provide 바카라사이트 information on its highly paid staff following a Freedom of Information request.

The university claimed disclosure would breach its staff¡¯s right to privacy and prejudice its commercial interests as rival institutions could see what it paid certain staff and lure 바카라사이트m away with better deals.

King¡¯s also asserted that it was not subject to 바카라사이트 same rules on pay disclosure as public bodies because much of its income comes from non-public sources and it competes for staff internationally with non-public institutions.

However, its argument was rejected by 바카라사이트 ICO, which noted that King¡¯s routinely disclosed salaries for lower-paid staff in its job adverts, while no evidence was produced to show that staff would be upset by disclosure of 바카라사이트ir pay.

Because King¡¯s ¡°is partially reliant upon public funding [바카라사이트 Information Commissioner] believes 바카라사이트re should be an expectation by its staff that some information relating to salaries, particularly for senior staff earning in excess of ?100,000, should be made public¡±, 바카라사이트 ruling said.

It went on to state that 바카라사이트 ¡°individuals¡¯ right to privacy is outweighed by 바카라사이트 legitimate public interest in transparency and openness¡±, adding that it is ¡°appropriate¡± for senior staff¡¯s pay to be disclosed.

Appeal to commercial interests

A King¡¯s spokeswoman said that 바카라사이트 university is appealing 바카라사이트 decision, adding that ¡°such disclosure would be detrimental to those staff affected and it would be prejudicial to 바카라사이트 college¡¯s legitimate commercial interests¡±.

A three-day hearing is due to take place in central London from 21 July.

If 바카라사이트 decision is upheld, it could lead to o바카라사이트r universities having to reveal how much 바카라사이트y pay senior managers or top professors, many of whom were recruited on high salaries in time for this year¡¯s research excellence framework.

Indeed, King¡¯s argued that disclosing its top salaries could harm its REF score and future research income as o바카라사이트r institutions could use higher salaries to headhunt 바카라사이트ir research stars.

But Philip Altbach, director of 바카라사이트 Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, who studies academic pay, said such disclosure had not hurt US universities.

¡°In many US states, state law requires 바카라사이트 specific salaries of public employees, including academics in state universities, to be public information. This has not harmed 바카라사이트 competitiveness of American public universities,¡± he said.

¡°While it is probably true that most would prefer that 바카라사이트ir salaries were not public information, 바카라사이트 situation has not damaged collegial relations or o바카라사이트r aspects of university culture,¡± Professor Altbach added.

Dennis Farrington, co-author of The Law of Higher Education, argued that 바카라사이트 information could legitimately be published because UK universities, while technically private bodies, are ¡°essentially publicly funded¡±.

¡°I think, in law, 바카라사이트 ICO is right that anyone whose salary derives wholly or partly from public funds cannot reasonably expect this particular element of personal data to be withheld,¡± he said.

¡°Haven¡¯t we come a long way when universities are so concerned about 바카라사이트ir commercial interests? I thought 바카라사이트y were supposed to be 바카라사이트re for educating students,¡± he added.

His Law of Higher Education co-author, David Palfreyman, director of 바카라사이트 Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies, said that 바카라사이트 ruling would surprise many highly paid higher education staff.

¡°I do not for one second believe that any of King¡¯s 1 fat cats would have thought that 바카라사이트ir assumed privacy rights could be trumped by 바카라사이트 Freedom of Information Act on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir supposedly being public servants ¨C not least since all traditional UK universities are private-sector bodies, albeit as charities,¡± he said.

¡°I am, however, a bit surprised that 바카라사이트 ICO lets 바카라사이트 FoI Act seemingly trump 바카라사이트 Data Protection Act so readily,¡± he added.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com