Last week the State Services Commission announced the total remuneration for chief executives and vice-chancellors at public tertiary education institutions.
Prof Stuart McCutcheon earned at least $660,000. That is 25 times more than one of his lowest paid colleagues at the University of Auckland; a computer systems assistant on a starting rate of about $26,000.
Hon Steve Maharey earned at least $540,000, and one of his lowest paid colleagues at Massey University, a graduate assistant earns $28,104.
Prof Harlene Hayne earned at least $540,000, and one of her lowest paid colleagues at the University of Otago, a domestic kitchen assistant at a residential college has a starting rate of $15.40 an hour. Otago is currently negotiating a new collective agreement for its staff.
Dr Rod Carr earned at least $530,000, and one of his lowest paid colleagues at the University of Canterbury, a step one cleaner, earned $15.63 an hour.
Derek McCormack earned at least $470,000, and one of his lowest paid colleagues at the Auckland University of Technology, a barista at the highest point of their salary scale, would earn $34,246 – about $2,500 less than the Living Wage.
Prof Roy Crawford earned at least $450,000. All four steps for a level 1 general staff colleague at the University of Waikato are below the Living Wage – with the highest of those steps being less than $36,000.
Prof Pat Walsh earned at least $400,000 (for eight months), and one of his lowest paid colleagues at the Victoria University of Wellington, a book shelver would earn the minimum wage of $14.25 an hour.
Dr Rick Ede earned at least $390,000, and one of his lower paid colleagues at Unitec a tutorial assistant has a starting rate of $32,644. That person would need to progress to step 4 on their scale before earning the Living Wage.
Mark Flowers earned at least $380,000, and one of his lowest paid colleagues at Waikato Institute of Technology a tutorial assistant has a starting rate of $32,371. That person would need to progress to step 4 on their scale before earning the Living Wage.
The Living Wage, the income necessary to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life, is $18.80 per hour (or about $37,000 for a 37.5 hour a week job). A living wage enables workers to live with dignity and to participate as active citizens in society.
“The Budget Policy Statement confirms that allowances for Budget 2015 and Budget 2016 have each been reduced by $500 million to $1 billion.” – Finance minister Bill English confirms tight times ahead for public tertiary education.