Overview

• Sir Peter Mathieson told the Holyrood Education Committee that his package, including a £350,000 basic salary and pension supplement, reflects offers he accepted on appointment
• The institution aims to secure £140 million in savings by combining £18 million annual cuts from a voluntary severance scheme for around 350 staff with a planned £90 million reduction in its wage bill
• Mathieson said he hopes future job losses can remain voluntary but admitted the university cannot rule out compulsory redundancies
• Shortfalls in international student income of about £20 million below target over two years have intensified the university’s financial strain
• Staff have announced strikes on June 20 and again in September, and leaders are reviewing all properties—including the principal’s five-bedroom Regent Terrace house—to meet savings targets