The “bully boy” university boss who threatened to dock a day’s wages from workers who took part in industrial action was Britain’s top-paid prof last year.

Figures revealed by union UCU yesterday show that then Nottingham Trent vice-chancellor Neil Gorman pocketed £623,000 in 2013-14.

That represented a 70 per cent pay hike for now-retired Mr Gorman compared to 2012/13, when he earned £366,000.

It means the fat cat was banking £170,000 more than any other uni boss — at the very time he was trying to break a national campaign to win a 2 per cent rise for uni staff.

Mr Gorman was condemned for his “bully boy behaviour” during the dispute.

He sent emails to all staff threatening to snatch a full day’s wages from them if they took part in two-hour walkouts or marking boycotts.

UCU leader Sally Hunt said yesterday: “Staff, students and taxpayers have a right to know why Nottingham Trent University thought such an enormous package was appropriate at a time that staff were told a miserly 1 per cent pay rise was at the absolute limit of affordability.”

Nottingham Trent board chairman Richard Bullock claimed the huge sum paid to Mr Gorman was actually part of a five-year package to ensure “continuity of leadership.”

But Mr Gorman was just one of 18 vice-chancellors who pocketed pay increases of more than 10 per cent last year.

The average basic salary for vice-chancellors has soared to £260,000 — six times more than the average earned by staff.

Bosses of publicly funded unis also claimed tens of thousands more in expenses for luxury flights and hotel stays.

Craig Calhoun of the London School of Economics blew £59,566.14 on business- and first-class flights.

Glasgow Caledonian University footed a £27,271 hotel bill for Prof Pamela Gillies.

And Prof Gavin Henderson claimed £33,526 in expenses from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

The scale of the university expenses scandal was uncovered by a UCU freedom of information request.

But Ms Hunt demanded a new “national register of pay and perks” after 24 institutions refused to reply to Freedom of Information requests.