Scottish university bosses have seen their wages soar despite warnings that hundreds of lecturers and staff may be about to lose their jobs. The average salary of a university principal in the last financial year was £222,000, up 10% on the previous year.
The highest paid principal was Sir Muir Russell, the former civil servant who presided over the Scottish Parliament building fiasco. In his role as head of Glasgow University (pictured above), he received an annual wage of £249,000, a grace-and-favour home and £35,000 towards his pension.
His counterpart in Edinburgh Sit Timothy O'Shea, was paid £228,000 and also receives a rent-free house, chauffeur-driven car and £47,000 in pension benefits.
The biggest pay rise went to Heriot-Watt university principal Anton Muscatelli, who is due to replace Sir Muir at Glasgow in October. His annual salary rocketed by almost 19% last year to £194,727.
Although universities are run as independent charities at least half of their funding comes from taxpayers.
Laura Laws, convenor of the Coalition of Higher Education Students in Scotland said, "We have to accept that the principals of our universities do an excellent job for less money than they would be earning in the private sector."
There's that old chestnut again, these worthies would receive so much more in the private sector. Are we expected to believe that? I don't believe it for a minute because, if it was true, they'd be off like a shot. Let's be honest, who, in private business, would employ Muir Russell after the absolute mess he made of the Scottish Parliament building project.
Don't forget the salaries are only part of the deal. I know the property in which the last principal of Dundee university lived and it's possibly worth well over £750,000 and, as you can imagine, situated in a rather select part of the city. I couldn't hazard a guess at how much it would cost a month to rent.
It is not my intention to imply all university principals are greedy, but it certainly looks that way. After all aren't they just run-of-the-mill accountants these days?
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