THOUSANDS of support workers at Scottish universities will be pulled out of poverty pay, it was announced yesterday — but dozens of institutions are still refusing to pay the living wage.

All universities in Scotland will pay a minimum salary of £14,323 a year to their staff, which works out as the living wage of £7.85 an hour, based on a 35-hour week.

But of the 162 universities in Britain and northern Ireland, 44 universities are still paying staff — including cleaners, porters and clerks — less than the living wage.

At Queen’s University Belfast, 160 staff are on poverty pay cheques while 84 are paid more than £100,000 a year.

Leicester has 345 earning below the living wage, with 80 on six-figure sums.

Durham University, which employs 36 such fat cats, has 439 staff paid less than the independently assessed rate. Its vice-chancellor earns an eye-watering £247,000 a year.

Addressing conference yesterday, Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Upping the wages of the lowest-paid staff on their books should be easily affordable for all our universities — especially when they are paying their senior members of staff so handsomely.

“Vice-chancellors who are earning more than £200,000 should stop being so mean and give their staff a decent pay rise.”
Staff at the Scottish universities who are working a longer week will not hit the living wage target.

Only Glasgow Caledonian is an accredited Living Wage employer, which requires contractors to pay staff above the threshold.