LECTURERS at Swindon's colleges are poised to mount a two-day strike over pay.

The walk-out at Swindon College and New College could take place on May 28 and 29 unless the Association of Colleges improves its 1.5 per cent pay offer to lecturers by Monday.

Lecturers at colleges across Britain, including those in Swindon, Cirencester and Trowbridge, are being balloted on taking the two-day action.

The move could affect thousands of Swindon students, many of them preparing for vital A-level and diploma exams.

Paul Mackney, general secretary of University and College Lecturers' Union NATFHE, is making an urgent appeal to Education Secretary Estelle Morris to release £1.4 billion unspent from last year's education budget to ease the crisis in cash-strapped further education colleges.

Mr Mackney warns of continued industrial unrest in colleges because of the Government's failure to ensure lecturers' pay rises to that of schoolteachers by 2004.

NATFHE has rejected as "insulting" the 1.5 per cent offer which employers' body the AoC made during pay negotiations on April 16. It is asking for ten times more, saying that a 15 per cent wages rise is essential to make the higher education profession attractive.

Mr Mackney said: "College lecturers earn around 12 per cent less than school teachers. We are under the impression that the Government shares our objective of bridging this pay gap by September 2004."

John Bryant, NATFHE's regional spokesman, said college lecturers' salaries have become depressed due to lack of funding, with some earning less than £20,000, and described the 1.5 per cent pay offer as "derisory".

He said: "I think we can anticipate action on May 28 and 29, but we would not allow it to effect examinations whether they be GCSEs, A levels or vocational."

Last May more than 80 lecturers marched through Swindon town centre as part of their one-day strike in protest at pay and working conditions. Both Swindon College and New College branches of NATFHE turned out in force to hammer home their demands.