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No pay increases until students get fee decreases
No pay increases until students get fee decreases
Students around the country are horrified to hear of the significant salary increases for tertiary sector bosses, and are calling for an immediate halt to all further pay increases.
“These exorbitant pay packets are a slap in the face for tertiary students everywhere. While students struggle to support and house themselves, tertiary bosses are rolling in it”, said Joey Randall, Co-President of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA).
“A key part of the role of these institution leaders is ensuring the well-being of their students, yet they’ve done virtually nothing to win additional funding to prevent fee increases and they often treat students with disdain. They have failed miserably”, said Randall.
The State Services Commission annual report shows that already high salaries have jumped significantly in the past year. The highest paid was University of Auckland Vice Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon on $470,000-$479,000, up $60,000 from the year before.
“It’s pretty hard to swallow salaries of this level when students are struggling on only a few hundred dollars a week, and all around the country they have just been walloped with another round of fee increases. It’s an incredibly insulting joke”, said Randall.
With most institutions already having set tuition fees for 2008, undergraduate students are facing fee increases of between 2.7% and 5%, resulting in hundreds of dollars in extra costs for next year. With many being forced to rely on the student loan scheme to support themselves during study, such fee increases will only add to the already astronomical $9.4 billion of collective student debt.
NZUSA is calling
for a halt to tertiary head salary increases until they
start being proactive on addressing fees for their
students.
ENDS
NZUSA - New Zealand Union of Students' Associations
We stand for opportunity, for all.
NZUSA is the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations, the national body that represents New Zealand's students' associations and the interests of New Zealand's 400,000 students at universities, polytechnics and in trades training.
We conduct original research, advocate to Government and through the media, and support New Zealand's students' associations to be more effective on behalf of their members. We advocate alongside Te Mana Akonga – The National Māori Students' Association, and Tertiary Women New Zealand – The NZUSA Women's Caucus.
Since 1929, we've believed in a society rich in opportunity, where anyone from anywhere can become any thing. We support accessible, affordable quality public tertiary education.
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