Vice-chancellor in pay rise controversy

**Vice-chancellor Nigel Thrift has received a pay rise of £42,000 for the last academic year (2011-12) it has been revealed.**

The vice-chancellor’s pay rise provoked anger amongst critics as the pay rise marked the first year that students would have to pay £9,000 a year for tuition fees.

An online petition demanding an explanation from Mr Thrift has gathered more than 360 signatures.

The increase on his £274,000 salary brings the head of the University’s total earnings up to £316,000 including pensions.

Warwick has defended Mr Thrift’s pay rise in light of the fact that he elected to take a pay freeze in 2008 -09 and 2009 -10.

Other vice-chancellors at Russell Group universities also took pay rises, with an average of £10,175 (more than four percent) increase. Mr Thrift’s represented the biggest single 12-month pay rise, according to the Times Higher Education magazine, although the vice-chancellors of Bristol and Durham took similar pay rises.

Moreover, two-thirds of university leaders received a pay rise and around a third took pay cuts or froze their pay, like that of Mr Thrift.

Head of communications at the University Peter Dunn told the _Boar_: “Our Remuneration Committee benchmarked pay of Heads of Russell Group Institutions in and determined an appropriate base salary which was in fact set at slightly below the average pay for Russell Group Heads of Institutions.

“This percentage increase in base pay after these years of pay freezes in fact broadly compares to the increases a member of staff with incremental progression headroom would have received, with negotiated pay increases and increments, over the period between 1 August 2008 and 1 August 2011.”

Sir George Cox, chair of Warwick’s Remuneration Committee, said: “Under Nigel Thrift’s leadership Warwick has made outstanding progress on delivering its strategy to be a globally-connected University.

“He has been central to Warwick’s successful strategy of seeking, and forming, close and effective international partnerships … During that time Warwick has also seen significant increases in income and the delivery of the largest capital programme in the University’s history with many new facilities for students and staff.

“That success is bringing real benefits to Warwick’s staff and student community. This has been recognised with a salary increase which, following years of voluntary pay freezes, still does no more than bring his remuneration into line with the average for Russell Group Heads of Institutions.”

Director-General of the Russell Group, Wendy Piatt, defended the group’s pay rises. She insisted that in light of the nature of a vice-chancellor’s role, leading “complex, multi-million pound organisations that succeed on a global stage” the salaries were important to attract the most suitable candidates.

This, she added, was “crucial if our universities are to continue to excel in a challenging economic climate”.

Critics have also noted that the university bosses’ pay increases came in the wake of just £150 flat pay increase to most university staff in the last year.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: “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.”

However it has transpired that many vice-chancellors received a pay rise due to a reduction in pension contributions because of an overall drop in pension tax relief last year. The UCU commented that some of the pay increases for the last academic year were introduced to “get round new pension rules”.

The controversy comes after the _Boar_ revealed in November [Mr Thrift’s travel expenses exceeded more than £100,000 over three years](https://theboar.org/news/2012/nov/28/thrifty-name-not-nature/).

Third-year Classics student Rachel Ward commented: “When we hear about six figure salaries it’s always difficult to judge just how fair they are, but compared to other universities it sounds like it’s reasonable.

“But I do think it makes taking a pay freeze a bit insincere if in three years time you are going to get a £42,000 pay rise.”

Speaking in the Birmingham Post, Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood said it was “disgraceful” that some bosses had seen an increase in salary and benefits in a time of austerity.

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