Lecturer strike action 'success'

The strike will be followed by an assessment boycott

Union leaders organising a 24-hour strike by thousands of university lecturers across Scotland have hailed it as a "great success".

The action by the Association of University Teachers (AUT) in Scotland is part of a UK-wide walkout over pay.

It said Scotland's older universities would be hardest hit by the action, a claim denied by Glasgow University.

Dr Tony Axon, the union's policy officer, said students had been very supportive of the strike.

Universities Scotland said institutions had received more funding in 2004, but almost all of it had already been earmarked.

The strike is to be followed by an assessment boycott which could leave students with coursework unmarked.

We've had a good turnout of pickets and a very low turnout of people going to work today Dr Tony Axon AUT Scotland

The campaign has won the backing of 27 MSPs, who have signed a motion of support at the Scottish Parliament, while more than 120 MPs have signed an early day motion in Westminster supporting the claims.

Dr Axon, who joined the picket outside Edinburgh University, said: "It has been a great success. We've had a good turnout of pickets and a very low turnout of people going to work today.

"The students have also been very supportive. The NUS is backing the action and I've not really seen any students going through the picket line at all.

'Sensible claim'

"There haven't been many lectures going ahead as far as we're aware."

Alastair Hunter, the president of AUT Scotland, said: "Lecturers' pay has declined by 40% in relative terms over the last 20 years.

"Our claim is sensible, costed and fully merited.

"The only people who continue to procrastinate on the issue are the principals, and they themselves told the Scottish Executive they would be using the new money coming into the sector to sort out staff pay."

The AUT said most of its members were taking part in the strike

Lecturers were picketing their own universities on Tuesday morning before attending a series of rallies in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Stirling.

The AUT has 6,000 members throughout Scotland and the union said it expected that most were taking part.

These include staff in Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Strathclyde, Dundee and Stirling.

The union has warned that further industrial action could leave students unable to graduate in the summer.

A spokesman for Universities Scotland said: "We do recognise that academic wages have fallen behind in the last 20 years, but it is not as easy as people think to find new money."

Staff at both Glasgow and Edinburgh universities said they hoped to keep disruption for students to a minimum during the strike.

An Edinburgh University spokesman said "We hope, and believe, that those that are being called to strike by AUT will not wish to disrupt students and will find ways to make their point which do not do so."

A spokesman for Glasgow University said only a minority of its staff were AUT members and that students could expect to graduate as normal.