High-earning academics urged to take pay cuts

EDUCATION Minister Batt O’Keeffe has urged high-earning third-level academics and managers to take the pay cuts already being offered by senior civil servants after it emerged 50 university bosses were paid €10 million last year.

One of the highest paid, Prof John Hughes, president of National University of Ireland Maynooth, said he had no problem with taking a pay cut. With pay and expenses last year of €254,000, he was listed as the seventh-highest paid university chief.

Five of the six highest earners were University College Dublin staff, with vice-president for research Prof Des Fitzgerald reported to have received more than €400,000 last year.