Further education colleges in Oxfordshire were facing shutdown today as lecturers went on strike over pay.

Thousands of students in Oxford, Abingdon, Banbury and Witney missed classes as tutors protested over pay rates, which they claim have fallen below those of teachers.

The strike is part of a national day of action organised by the lecturers' union, the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education.

The union wants a flat rate increase of £3,000 for all its members and a series of further awards to close the gap within four years.

Lecturers claim their average pay is between £19,000 and £20,000 while school teachers receive an average of just less than £27,000, including a £2,000 performance-related increment, plus a pay rise this year of 3.7 per cent.

More than 30,000 college staff were due to be involved in today's action across England and Wales, apart from those who are involved with exams of students with special needs.

Agriculture colleges were not balloted on strike action because of the foot and mouth outbreak.

Tutors went on strike several weeks ago to protest that they were still waiting for last year's 3.3 per cent pay award, negotiated at national level between unions and colleges. Today's strike will be followed by other disruptive non-strike action.

A NATFHE union spokesman at Abingdon College, said: "All we want is proper recognition of what we achieve in colleges, and for us to be funded more fairly.

"We have seen our school and sixth form colleagues' pay jump ahead of ours over recent years.

"Many college lecturers are stuck on relatively low pay with little chance to progress, and some full-time lecturers earn as little as £18,802. Is that really the worth of the education we provide?"