LECTURERS were today due to walk out on strike at a York college in a row over pay.

The University and College Union (UCU) balloted its members across the country, including those at Askham Bryan College, over the management’s failure to award staff a pay deal agreed four years ago.

The ballot saw 70 per cent of respondents vote in favour of strike action.

Askham Bryan is one of nine colleges across the country where the industrial action is taking place. The union described the colleges’ failure to honour the pay deal, which it said was agreed in 2004 and would have given the average lecturer an extra £4,500 a year, as “one of the longest IOUs from management to staff in the history of industrial relations”.

Staff were expected on the picket line from 7.30am on the entrance to the main campus where they were due to be joined in support by members from nearby York College.

Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, said: “The colleges only have themselves to blame for today’s disruption.

“The staff are not greedy; they are merely asking for the money they should have been paid four years ago. Nobody involved with any of the colleges wants to see industrial action and, once again, we ask the colleges to now sit down with us and discuss ways to resolve the issue and avoid any further unnecessary disruption.”

No one was available at Askham Bryan College for comment.

UCU regional official for Yorkshire and Humberside, John Giddins, said: “None of our members at Askham Bryan want to see industrial action. We have repeatedly asked the college to sit down with us and discuss ways to resolve the issue and avoid unnecessary disruption.”

The Press reported last February how teachers at the further education institution were facing the axe.

College bosses had previously announced compulsory redundancies in order to save costs, as the college was facing a £500,000 deficit in its funds.

The college wanted to save £250,000 on support staff and £250,000 on college staff over the current academic year.

The cuts took affect across the college, including its agriculture, horticulture, animal management, engineering, rural and community, and equine departments.