IPPN

THE country's highest paid university head has suggested that staff work for a week for nothing to help the college through the current financial crisis.

The move by University College Cork (UCC) president Dr Michael Murphy comes as university heads themselves consider a voluntary pay cut.

The pay cut proposal is on the agenda for a meeting of the Irish Universities Association (IUA) today -- but in return college bosses want discretion in relation to the recently announced embargo on filling posts.

Dr Murphy, whose remuneration package is worth in excess of €275,000 floated the 'free week' idea at a quarterly presentation to staff and students yesterday.

It would amount to pay cut of more than 2pc this year for UCC's 2,800 staff, yielding about €3.3m of €7m that the college has to save between now and Spetember. It is seen as an alternative to the loss of temporary staff. UCC has 400 staff on short-term contracts.

College staff were unimpressed. Last night a source said: "This is not going to happen. It is seen as an attempt to impose unacceptable conditions on junior and poorly paid staff while senior staff are refusing to set a headline in this regard."

Dr Murphy said UCC was heading for a deficit of €16m and in light of the ever tightening financial situation, further savings of €7m would be needed between now and September.

All the universities are under strict instructions from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) not to incur deficits this year and to work at reducing any accumulated debt.

Today's meeting of the IUA is not expected to take a final decision on the voluntary pay cut, the possible extent of which has not been specified.

Flexibility

Sources said the university heads were keen to show a lead on the pay front, but in return for any such gesture they wanted certain flexibility in handling the moratorium on appointments and promotions in the higher education sector.

Discussions on the implementation of the moratorium are under way between the Departments of Finance and Education and the HEA.

In his presentation to staff, Dr Murphy outlined a range of potential staff and non-staff related savings including non-renewal of temporary contracts, a cut in overtime costs, and other areas, such as a reduction in the subvention to the Glucksman Gallery.

He described a possible agreement to work without pay for a week -- as "the biggest value item on our list".

"I hesitated at proposing this at first; the sacrifice would be on top of what the Minister for Finance has imposed on us all. If implemented, it should not impact on our pensions and it should be a once-off, not establishing a precedent for next year.''

He told staff that there was "very little time available" to agree a menu of cuts.

- Katherine Donnelly