Bangor college boss will get pay upward push whilst personnel jobs reduce

A school’s choice to offer its vice chancellor a 13% pay upward push earlier than reducing dozens of jobs has been criticised via a industry union.

Bangor University’s annual document for 2023/24 confirmed vice chancellor Edmund Burke gained a pay upward push of greater than £30,000.

Dyfrig Jones, the UCU union’s vice chairman and a senior lecturer on the college stated the rise was once “shocking and disappointing”.

Bangor University stated “the current salary… reflects not only the full responsibilities of the role but also market benchmarking against peers leading similarly complex institutions”.

The annual document confirmed Mr Burke gained a wage of £273,000 in comparison to the former 12 months the place he was once paid £222,000 for 11 months’ paintings.

Mr Jones stated: “It hurts and it feels like another blow to our staff who have already been through such a difficult period.”

The union consultant stated he would “welcome” the vice-Chancellor volunteering to pay off a few of his wage.

“If he were to have rejected the pay rise, that could have saved one or two jobs,” stated Mr Jones.

Marian Wyn Jones, chairwoman of the college’s council, warned in its annual document there are “financial challenges facing the university and the sector” and stated they “face unprecedented challenges due to historically static tuition fees for home undergraduate students which are set by the government, persistent inflationary pressures, and policy changes on international student visas”.

In February, the college stated it had to reduce 200 jobs to make monetary financial savings.

Last month, Professor Burke despatched an e-mail to personnel announcing the college had made “good progress” in making financial savings thru “strict controls” and “voluntary severance and retirements”.

The choice of jobs to be reduce had due to this fact been revised right down to 78.

The UCU union was once unsatisfied that, all the way through monetary difficulties, some senior personnel had been rewarded financially, with the yearly document report demonstrating the choice of staff rising from 18 to 26 in a 12 months.

“We are talking about substantial sums of money, which are enough to keep a great many of those who are facing losing their jobs in employment,” stated Mr Jones.

He stated the union sought after to look fewer jobs with “very high salaries” to “protect jobs which command a lower salary, but which, in my opinion, are far more important for the university”.

Bangor University stated in a observation: “The increase reflects a combination of factors, including the appointment or promotion to leadership roles where salaries are benchmarked against national and standards.

“Our core venture continues, which is to offer a top usual of schooling and ship analysis of the best quality.

“We are committed to transparency and accountability across all our work, including salaries, the salary of the vice chancellor and Executive Board which is paid by the Remuneration Committee.

“Our management crew concentrates on the use of sources responsibly to make stronger our venture and long term steadiness.”

A spokesperson additionally stated the vice chancellor had no longer gained a pay upward push within the present 12 months.