College chief’s £15,000 pay rise criticised

ANDREW DENHOLM

A ROW has broken out between college bosses and funding chiefs over an official’s £15,000 pay hike.

The rise follows a job evaluation of Robin Ashton’s role as executive director of the Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board (GCRB), the body which helps run Glasgow’s college sector.

However, the Scottish Funding Council has criticised the increase, branding it “difficult to justify”. The GCRB was set up to help run the city’s three colleges – City of Glasgow, Clyde and Glasgow Kelvin – following a series of mergers across Scotland.

Glasgow is unusual as the city has three colleges with their own principals and boards, as well as the over-arching regional body, whose funding comes from the overall college budget for the region.

Representatives of public services union Unison and the Educational Institute of Scotland also criticised the scale of the increase at a time of public sector pay restraint and cuts to core funding.

John Gallacher, Unison Scotland’s recruitment organiser, described the increase as “outrageous” and demanded transparency over pay rises for all senior staff.

He said: “Senior pay in Scottish further education is out of kilter. Salaries for all staff, at whatever grade, should be determined through a common job evaluation system.”