Dozens of universities have refused to come clean about pay rises for their top chiefs amid union anger over members’ real-terms pay cuts.

The University and College Union condemned “murky” secret pay deals for university chiefs yesterday after just two out of 139 institutions were prepared to say just how much they were paying their top brass.

The sector has seen strikes across Scotland, England and Wales over complaints of inflation outstripping wages year after year, with unions calculating a 13 per cent drop in the real value of their members’ paychecks since 2009.

Yet the universities have drawn a line under a pay rise of 1 per cent for 2014 — barely half the current rate of inflation.

The dispute has intensified calls for full disclosure of raises awarded to the top brass under the Freedom of Information Act.

But the union revealed yesterday that just two out of the 139 universities quizzed by their researchers agreed to come clean.

Two-thirds snubbed the request with many citing commercial confidentiality, while others produced minutes with the details redacted and 15 per cent did not even respond.

Of the two which produced specific details, the University of Glasgow awarded its principal Anton Muscatelli a 2 per cent rise on his existing salary of £258,000 a year, while the University of Stirling boosted vice-chancellor Gerry McCormac’s £205,000 salary by a further 5 per cent.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said students and taxpayers had a right to know why so much of their money padded principals’ paychecks.

“The time has come for the lid to be lifted on the hitherto murky world of remuneration committees and senior pay in our universities.

“All but five university vice-chancellors earned more than the Prime Minister last year, while staff have been on strike six times this year in protest at a measly 1 per cent pay offer,” she said.

The union is set to begin a boycott on marking by April 28 barring a return to negotiations.

Meanwhile Universities UK chief executive Nicola Dandridge played down the figures, describing top-level salaries as “in line with those in competitor countries and comparable to similarly-sized public and private organisations.”