Fife College boss paid more than First Minister

That makes Hugh Logan one of the top eight earners in his sector – and he takes home MORE than the First Minister who runs the country.

Nicola Sturgeon is entitled to a salary of £145,000 but only takes £104,000.

The college insists Mr Logan’s pay packet is fair as ‘’managing a college of this size and complexity is a huge undertaking.’’

But the salaries for the top jobs in Fife and across the further education sector came in for criticism from unions.

And they also attacked the gulf between pay for the boss and in the staffrooms.

Mr Logan, who recently announced his retirement, was one of 21 principals listed in a pay survey published in the media at the weekend.

Top billing went to Paul Little at City of Glasgow who took home £153,000 while in Edinburgh Mandy Exley, who is no longer in post, netted £145,000, and Susan Walsh at Glasgow Clyde was paid £144,750.

At the other end of the table, five principals took home under £100,000 - Iain McMillian (Lews Castle) got £77,000, and Lydia Rohmer (West Highland) £68,611, less than half the top earners.

John Gallacher, Scottish organiser for further education at public sector union Unison, highlighted the ‘‘outrageous’’ pay gap between the boardroom and staffroom.’’

He said: “Salaries should be determined through the national collective bargaining procedures that affect all staff. There should be a formula to determine the levels and range of management salaries.

“It’s outrageous that the principal of a college can earn ten times that of the lowest paid employee in the same institution. This needs to be addressed.”

The teachers’ union, the EIS, also called for more robust procedures when it came to paying such high salaries.

Larry Flanagan, general secretary, accepted the responsibility shouldered by principals would ‘’inevitably be reflected to a degree in the level of remuneration.’’

But he wanted ‘’a similarly fair, robust and transparent process’’ to apply to all lecturing and support staff.

Mr Flanagan added: “Colleges are public bodies and the majority of their funding comes from public finances, so it is essential that a robust process is applied to setting senior pay to ensure good practice and value for public money.”

A spokesman for Fife College defended the pay deal.

She said: ‘’Managing a college of this size and complexity is a huge undertaking and the salary reflects this and mirrors similar roles.’’

The college also confirmed that plans to appoint a successor to Mr Logan were ‘’at an early stage.’’