23/04/2010

College Heads' Pay Rockets By 56%

The average pay of college heads has risen by more than 56% in the last eight years to nearly £120,000, according to figures released today by University College Union (UCU).

The union said the figures made a mockery of the oft-repeated claim that "we are all in this together" as they show that college heads received a 7.1% pay rise in the last year (2008-09) while only awarding teaching staff a rise of 1%.

Between 2001-2 and 2008-09 the mean average pay of further education college principals increased by 56.2% from £76,506 to £119,482. In the same period of time college lecturers' pay increased by just 23.4%.

UCU said further education colleges must be more transparent over pay and warned that the trend of principals enjoying bumper rises while offering staff minimal rises risked exposing the sector to ridicule.

The news comes in the same month that 120,000 senior public employees are having their pay frozen. The union said the difference between those at the top and the rest was clear to see with college principals' pay rising at more than twice the rate of their staff over the last eight years.

UCU General Secretary, Sally Hunt, said: "UCU is not against people being properly rewarded for jobs well done. However, we believe colleges need to be upfront about why principals are enjoying such bumper pay rises compared to teaching staff.

"At a time when the public sector is facing huge pressure to show restraint these large rises in principals' pay are embarrassing for the further education sector. It is no use trying to pretend we are all in this together when the facts show us that those at the top are continuing to enjoy whopping pay increases."

(CD/BMCC)

Related Northern Ireland Recruitment News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

17 February 2015
Police Forces Support Improved Pay Offer
Members of Unite the union, working for police forces in England and Wales have backed an improved pay offer in a ballot, it has been announced. Civilian staff, including 999 call handlers, scene of crime officers, police community support officers and custody officers, accepted the revised pay offer of 2.2%, or £400, whichever is greater, by 92%.
30 January 2015
Union Seals Better Pay Deal For Woolwich Ferry Workers
A strike by Woolwich Ferry workers has been averted after Unite the union secured a better pay deal for the workforce, and persuaded ferry operator Briggs Marine to abandon threats to tear up long-standing agreements.
18 July 2007
New Further Education Sector Takes Shape
Northern Ireland’s 16 Further Education (FE) colleges are to merge into six larger area based groupings from 1 August 2007. Minister for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg Empey, highlighted the importance of the mergers and confirmed that the number of college campuses delivering courses locally would not change as a result of these mergers.
18 September 2014
DSG Workers To Ballot For Industrial Action Over Pay Dispute
Workers at the cash-rich Defence Support Group (DSG) are being balloted for industrial action in a dispute over pay, as the group faces being sold off to the private sector next year.
01 October 2010
Pay Rises Before 2013 'Unrealistic' – IBEC
An influential Irish employers group has said any expectation of a pay rise by employees is "unrealistic". The employers' body IBEC made the claim after publishing the results of its survey showing the majority of companies could still not afford pay increases over the next two years.