YOUR article on principals’ pay, “Union anger over wage rise disparity” (FE Focus, January 10), misses some important facts about the results of this year’s Association of Colleges’ senior postholders’ survey, conducted in the autumn of 2002 and covering 7,000 senior posts, including principals.
The median pay award for principals was 4.7 per cent and the average salary stands at pound;73,500, expressed without the inflation which the inclusion of pension contributions and other factors produces in your league table.
This factor is particularly important this year because of the increase in the employers’ contributions to both the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and Local Government Pension Schemes, which has significantly inflated the total value of principals’ emoluments.
Your article claims that the average pay award for lecturers was 4 per cent last year. However, just like principals, some will have achieved higher increases and some lower. AoC remains committed to working with all our recognised unions to ensure that the whole workforce is properly remunerated.
Ivor Jones
Director of employment policy
Association of Colleges
