THERE was anger at a Scottish university last night after it emerged that its principal had returned to his normal six-figure salary while staff are facing a real-terms pay cut and modern apprentices are being laid off.
Professor Peter Mathieson, principal of Edinburgh University, announced in April he would be taking a 20% pay cut, along with some of his senior staff, because of Covid-19. At the time he said the university’s annual income could fall by as much as £150 million because of the pandemic.
Mathieson has now returned to his usual salary – believed to be almost £400,000 including pension benefits.
However, a university insider told The National: “Professor Mathieson made great play of his accepting a 20% pay cut … What wasn’t widely reported at the time was that the cut was only for six months. This comes as a bitter blow to the staff who have lost their jobs as well as those who are currently balloting on whether to accept a real-terms pay cut.”
Another source said there was considerable anger and an “air of mutiny” amongst staff at the young apprentices being “cut adrift in such a callous way”.
The University and College Union (UCU) official in Scotland, Mary Senior, said: “Volunteering pay cuts at the start of the pandemic last year at least demonstrated some awareness of those at the top of our universities to the gaping chasm between their pay and that of workers delivering the teaching, research and student support. The news that principals are returning to their over-inflated pay packets will do nothing for staff morale at a time when they are being told to accept a pay freeze, cope with increasing workloads, home schooling, and potentially return to campus to deliver in-person learning in the middle of a pandemic.
“The fat cat pay of university leaders makes it all the more difficult for us to make the case for the much-needed funding to enable staff to deliver vital teaching in our universities.”
A spokesman for Edinburgh University said Mathieson and his senior team took a six-month pay cut from the start of the current financial year, last August 1, “because the financial challenges of the pandemic have been more keenly felt in the current financial year than the last”.
He confirmed that the principal’s salary has now returned to its original level, but added that he had not accepted a rise since taking up his post in 2018.
Neither he nor his senior team will receive one this year.
“Since the Modern Apprenticeship programme began in 2017, the university has supported more than 100 young people at the start of their careers. We intend to continue with this programme,” the spokesman said.
“From the outset, Modern Apprentices are made aware that we cannot guarantee employment at the end of their fixed term contract/qualification, although we make every effort to offer employment and support with further training and guidance.”
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