COLLEGES face disruption tomorrow when lecturers stage a one-day strike.

Members of NATHFE - the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education - at Blackburn College and Nelson and Colne College voted to take action over pay.

Blackburn College staff say they are facing increasing workloads and are not happy with a non-negotiable wage rise.

They claim their workload has gone up by about 13 per cent since signing new contracts.

The union also claims there has been an increase in stress-related illnesses among lecturers.

A spokeswoman said: "The students have been very sympathetic to our cause and some of them will hopefully be joining us."

Since colleges became self-governing in 1993 there have been a number of problems, especially in changes in funding which have resulted in colleges introducing new contracts for lecturers. After a lengthy industrial dispute, the board of governors at Nelson and Colne agreed in January to negotiate a new contract with NATHFE.

Chairman of the college's union Richard MacSween said: "By July it was back to business as usual. The board decided that the squeeze on funding meant the hours for course tuition had to be cut.

"In October the board decided it would impose a pay settlement of 2.4 per cent - way below the productivity increases, and not agreed either at national level or at this college.

"What goes on in colleges should be dictated by educational not budgetary needs. We'd like everybody - students, parents and the public - to support our campaign."

Sue Berryman, the North West's NATHFE further education negotiating secretary, said: "The mood among lecturers is very angry.

"They are fed up with college employers telling them their skills are worth bargain basement rates."

Burnley College NATHFE members voted against strike action.

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