Fang Liufang

 

According to Article 7 of the Measures for the Information Disclosure of Higher Educational Institutions, "Higher Educational Institutions shall disclosure the following information: (9) ……annual budget and final accounts of budget…… " Apparently, the budget of CESL falls into the category of information disclosure, and salaries of the Co-deans is one of the budget items, therefore, it shall be made open.

Prior to the establishment of CESL, salaries of two Co-deans have been booked under the Heading 1.1.3 of the Action Budget, the Annex III of Grant Contract, by University of Hamburg. The currency is Euro, budgetary salary of the European Co-dean is 14,000 euros per month, and for Chinese Co-dean 4,000 euros per month (pursuant to the exchange rate in August 2008, when CESL exchanged the first installment of EU grant, 1 euro =10 RMB).

The budgetary monthly salary of the European Co-dean is his contractual salary, which equals to his actually paid salary (prior to income tax).

From 2008 to 2012, the salary prior to income tax of the Chinese Co-dean Fang Liufang was 40,000 RMB per month, after deduction of the income tax of 7,741.75RMB, the actual salary he received was 32,258.25 RMB. The budgetary salary and contractual salary show fluctuations with years, and for the details, please refer to the following table.

Based on the financial rules, the annual budget shall be adjusted every year. Salary was also increased with the length of service and inflation. During 2008-2012, the Chinese Co-dean has contributed his overtime work payment as co-financing in terms of human resources from CUPL to CESL, with the ceiling of the outstanding between his annual budgetary salary and the annual salary paid before income tax, for the purpose of not exceeding the budget. The audit of 2008-2012 has confirmed that, the unpaid overtime work payment Chinese Co-dean entitled to amounted was amounted to 2,702,003.76 RMB, and this amount was the contribution in terms of human resources from CUPL to CESL. The due but unpaid overtime work payment of the Chinese Co-dean for the year of 2012, still waits to be verified by the auditor, but it is predicted to be over the average amount of the past four years.

2008-2012, Table of Salaries of the Chinese Co-dean

Year	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Budgetary salary EURO/month	4,000	4,000	5,000	12,500	8,333
Contractual salaryRMB/month	40,000	40,000	40,000	125,000	125,000
Salary before taxRMB/month	40,000	40,000	40,000	40,000	40,000
Actual salary after tax RMB/month	32,258.25	32,258.25	32,258.25	32,258.25	32,258.25

In the process of compiling the budget forecast 2012, one European member of CESL Jointly Managerial Committee (JMC), who is also a well-know law professor, wrote a letter to all the JMC members, claimed that "the salary in the budget for the European Co-dean is absolutely so low as not to attract any good and excellent candidates. That salary must be adapted to a real level so as to enable people with prestige to become a Co-dean." However, Co-dean Fang Liufang could not share his point, for the fact that the first Co-dean was competent, decent and prestigious, and the same salary also successfully attracted the second European Co-dean to work here for one year. Therefore, there is no need for raising the current budget for European Co-dean. At the same time, Fang Liufang also stood for the point of view that the salary of Chinese Co-dean and European Co-dean shall at least be at the same level since salary standard is irrelevant to nationalities and races.

In 2012, after UHH stopped its contractual obligation of transferring EU grant to CESL, the Chinese Co-dean has submitted two written applications to CUPL, voluntarily to request to lower his own salary.

 

Fang Liufang