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LECTURERS called on their college bosses yesterday to “open the books” after discovering huge pay rises for top managers while almost 100 jobs at the college are under threat.
The University and College Union (UCU) used freedom of information legislation to obtain financial data at Warwickshire College.
It discovered that college principal Mariane Cavalli received a £50,000 pay rise over two years and an un-named senior manager received a £15,000 bonus.
But the union said staff’s real-terms pay fell by 16 per cent in the past five years and this year’s offer is a below-inflation increase of 1 per cent.
And it said that 99 jobs at the college were hanging in the balance following a £3 million funding shortfall.
Ms Cavalli has now gone on “temporary leave of absence” said the UCU.
UCU regional official Anne O’Sullivan said: “Almost 100 members of staff at the college might lose their jobs, pay has been driven down in recent years and yet we are starting to uncover details of massive pay rises for a principal now on leave and for other senior managers.”
UCU is also querying a payment of £500,000 to a company founded by five college principals, including Ms Cavalli.
The union said £200,000 of taxpayer-funded college cash was used to buy shares in the company, named the Gazelle Group of Colleges and it received £324,000 for developing a “new education concept.”
Warwickshire College said it had “responded to the UCU freedom of information request in good faith and as required by legislation. We have no further comment to make on the contents of the FOI at this time.”
It also said the college has in place “robust internal and external audit processes for financial matters.”
Ms O’Sullivan said: “The college needs to open its books up and explain why such large sums were given to the Gazelle group of colleges and what new education concepts are and why they cost £324,000. We also need to know what has been spent on overseas travel and expenses, why senior managers got such big pay rises and who is getting a bonus on top of their salary and why.”
