£10k pay increase for university bosses as staff endure pay cuts

The average remuneration paid to the vice-chancellor of a Russell Group university rose by £10,175 to £277,000 in 2011-12 - a 4.1 per cent increase, according to a Times Higher Education analysis released today.

UCU said the lack of self-awareness from university bosses, who pleaded poverty when paying staff a flat increase of just £150 in 2011-12, was an embarrassment to higher education.

As well as seeing their pay shoot up, many university chiefs have also changed the way they receive their pension contributions to get around new tax regulations. Overall, average total salary and pension payments for Russell Group vice-chancellors stood at £311,000 in 2011-12.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Staff are rightly tired of the hypocrisy from vice-chancellors when it comes to pay and pensions. One rule for upstairs and another for downstairs seems to be the order of the day. The lack of self-awareness from university leaders when it comes to their own perks is an embarrassment for the sector and insulting to the staff within it who work so hard.

'While staff have seen their real-terms pay fall for successive years, many vice-chancellors and principals have had their snouts firmly in the trough, including the receipt of huge pay awards to get round new pension rules.'

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