This week academics are going on strike for higher pay. The Times Higher has just published a survey of university salaries. As we know, real academic pay has been on the slide for some years, unless of course you are a manager, especially a VC. Their pay has soared, and the article is full of the usual management eyewash about paying for talent, international rates, etc etc — the same drivel that execs of big companies use to excuse their mammoth remuneration, often achieved through share price manipulation as their companies true value goes down the pan, along with the economy. The article does a good job of undermining this nonsense and points out the poor pay levels of the lowly academics. Naturally Ucea, the employers outfit, reckons we’re well paid in relation to other professionals. In that remark lies the VC talent we hear so much about: the ability to quote (or pretend to quote) selective statistics that support their perpetual decisions to let real pay for the staff fall year after year. But as in years past, we can be sure that management pay will have no such constraints.
Support the strike this week.