QUB’s Vice-Chancellor to be paid £250k per year

Professor Patrick Johnston’s massive pay packet has caused controversy amidst this year’s strike action over heavy workloads and the university’s staff salary not meeting a living wage.

Professor Johnston’s predecessor, Professor Gregson left his £230k-a-year position in July 2013. Johnston now becomes the 12th vice-chancellor in the university’s history and the first Northern Irish vice-chancellor at the university since Peter Froggatt, who stepped down in 1986.

However, compared to his predecessor’s wage, the new vice-chancellor’s pay packet has increased by £19k. Now standing at £250k-a-year, Professor Johnston earns over £100k MORE than Prime Minister David Cameron.

 The post of VC was incredibly competitive; the top 50 academics from across the world applied for the post. Queen’s finally appointed Professor Johnston, Dean of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at QUB.

Johnston’s huge raise has drawn immense criticism at QUB, where staff have regularly taken strike action over the Autumn and Spring semesters over cuts and wages, and the majority of the university staff aren’t being paid a living wage. However, QUB claim Johnston’s huge yearly earnings are justified for a world-class academic who was recognised for excellence in medical science in 2012.

NUS-USI Officer and Queen’s University student, Aisling Gallagher said: “It’s a disgrace, particularly considering Queen’s doesn’t even pay all of their staff a living wage, and considering academic staff have had a 13% pay cut over the last few years. £250k is too much.”

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