A joint UNISON, UCU, and Unite report has shown the growing pay gap between the highest earners and other staff at Bath University.
The report found that between 2002 and 2013 the number of high earners – £100,000 and above – at Bath increased from 4 to 51.
And that the high earners share of total staff costs has rocketed from just 1% in 2002 to 6%.
Despite higher earners carving out a greater slice, total staffing costs at Bath University have actually fallen as a share of University expenditure as the vast majority of staff have seen real term pay cuts
Using freedom of information requests, UNISON found that over 1,200 staff were paid below the living wage.
National strike action and effective local campaigning by UNISON, other unions and students has made the university pay the living wage to directly employed staff from 1 August 2014. However, this still leaves 1,000 casual staff at Bath below the living wage.
Whilst the low paid scrimp and save the University is on target to achieve a surplus of £13 million for this year alone.
UNISON’s Regional Head of Higher Education, Judy Wilson said: “Most casual staff are on the national minimum wage, significantly below what is needed to have a decent standard of living. UNISON and the students union are working together to bring pressure to bear on the university to pay these people properly.”
Salaries for the highest earners in universities are set by remuneration committees. These are effectively a closed shop run by a small elite group of council members, which often include the Vice Chancellor. The minutes of these committees are not made public and are even exempt from Freedom of Information requests.
UNISON’s National Secretary Jon Richards said: “You can tell a lot about the culture of an organisation by how it treats its staff.
“The public are growing uneasy at the unfair distribution of wealth and those at the top taking more for themselves. Outside organisations looking to invest in joint projects will increasingly evaluate how a university behaves towards its employees, and will take a view on the reputational risk of linking up with fat cat universities.”
UNISON campaigns for fair pay for all university staff, whether they are directly employed, casual staff or work on campus for a private contractor providing services to students and staff. The increasing marketisation and outsourcing of residential services, catering, cleaning and security have led to a growing gap across the workforce who deliver services to students and staff on campus.
A growing number of universities are signing up to become living wage accredited employers. Glasgow Caledonian University, Leeds Trinity University, London Business School, London School of Economics, Queen Mary University London, University of Salford, University of Huddersfield, University of East London and others have already become accredited living wage employers.