Lecturers battle redundancies amidst 'eye-watering' hikes in executive pay

Martin Shipton

Bangor University staff are planning a protest demonstration against proposed compulsory redundancies amid big hikes in executive pay.

The demo will take place on Thursday June 12 at 2pm by the Bangor War Memorial on Deiniol Rd .

Staff have branded Bangor Vice Chancellor Professor Edmund Burke’s recent 13% pay rise and salary of £273,000 as “a kick in the teeth.”

The current redundancy consultation aims at cutting £5m with 126 posts earmarked to be made redundant - equivalent to 80 full time equivalent posts. Staff had already consented to defer a pay rise to mitigate the pressure on university finances.

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Shocked

With the long-delayed publication of the 2023-24 financial report at the end of May 2025, staff say they were shocked to learn that the Vice Chancellor and executive had received an inflation-busting pay rise in 2024. The report also outlines how the 13 “key management personnel” at the top of Bangor University were paid a combined sum of £2,828,000.

At a recent online broadcast made to staff, Vice Chancellor Burke answered a pre-submitted question on whether he and the executive would agree to take a pay cut by saying: “At this moment in time, I do not plan to recommend a pay cut to the executive board”.

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'Concerning trends'

A University and College Union branch spokesperson said: “Bangor University’s annual report highlighted some concerning trends. Even as the overall number of staff went down by nearly 3%, the number of staff earning £100,000 or more increased by nearly 50%. The report also showed the Vice Chancellor earning a pay rise of 13%, with the ratio of pay to the median salary going up to 6.65 from 6.17 two years prior.

“This year, a further 250 staff members have already left as a result of voluntary severance. The staff left behind will be doing more work for no additional pay. Our members are consistently being told that we must do more with less. Our members are told that they should propose job-sharing and reduced working hours to avoid compulsory redundancy. It is only fair for the same to apply to the University Executive.

“We have made it clear to management from day one that compulsory redundancies are a red line that cannot be crossed. We are prepared to take action against these cuts that threaten our members’ livelihoods and impact our students through degraded course quality and worse student experience.

“By proposing compulsory redundancies, Bangor University Executive are preparing to cross a Rubicon that no Welsh University has crossed in more than 15 years. The Vice Chancellor must pull back from the brink and immediately rule out compulsory redundancies.”

Another UCU member anonymously added: “I was laid off with the explanation that it was not possible to renew my fixed-term contract given the university’s financial situation. Therefore, it is a real kick in the teeth to see the Vice Chancellor get a pay rise in excess of my entire salary, even if it was in the previous financial year”.

'Undermine'

Gareth Lloyd, UCU Cymru Wales Official said: “This news can only further undermine staff’s confidence in Bangor University’s leadership. Our UCU branch has already identified serious issues and inconsistencies in management’s proposals.”

“Across Wales, we find no other sector where workers experience pay freezes and the constant threat of job losses. All of this will inevitably combine to weaken courses, hurt learners and further harm the local community.

“We urge the Vice Chancellor to rule out compulsory redundancies in 2025. Failure to do so risks a withering round of sustained industrial action”.

Bangor University has been invited to comment.