Birmingham University Staff Protest Over Vice-Chancellor Pay

More than 160 academics at the University of Birmingham are protesting over the vice-chancellor, Sir David Eastwood's, high remuneration package.

Academics at the University of Birmingham have written an open letter to the university's council to highlight the annual pay of £426,000 awarded to Eastwood, making him one of the highest paid vice-chancellors in the UK.

The letter said: "Sir David has received £2.9m in salary from the University of Birmingham since he became vice-chancellor in 2009. This is on top of the highly desirable university-funded residence provided for him on campus, and his university-funded chauffeur-driven car."

The letter went on to add: "We seek reform of a system which sees those at the top of our universities in a position where they can allocate themselves huge salaries, whilst denying fair pay to those at the bottom."

The protestors have also highlighted the above average pay for senior university managers, which stands at £163,949 versus the national average of £82,506.

University staff are also angry over the institution's use of zero-hours contracts, suggesting it's one of the highest users of this contract type among Russell Group universities.

Staff at Birmingham University are planning a demonstration in support of strike action over management practices and will be joined by Bath university union representatives.