LECTURERS have demanded managers drop their threat to withhold pay if industrial action continues.

Staff at Oxford Brookes University met on Wednesday to discuss the ultimatum, which is the latest twist in a national pay dispute which has gone on for several months.

On Tuesday, the university announced that it was offering a local solution and would implement a 12.6 per cent pay rise over the next three years, but said any staff withholding exam marks would have their pay suspended after May 25.

Unions, including the Association of University Teachers (AUT) and National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE), want 23 per cent over the next three years.

They have instructed members to refuse to set, mark, or invigilate exams and course work potentially jeopardising students' exam results.

At meetings on Wednesday, union members passed a motion calling on the university to withdraw the threatening letter and re-enter national negotiations.

Bob Waugh, secretary of the NATFHE branch at Harcourt Hill, said that in 12 years of working at Brookes he had never seen such anger. He said: "University lecturers are not by instinct confrontational people. It is to be hoped that more reasonable voices will prevail and bring Brookes back from this terrible situation".

AUT general secretary Sally Hunt said that it was "unbelievable" that this was happening "in an institution whose academic reputation has soared in recent years as the result of the efforts of its staff".

More than 6,000 final-year students studying at both of Oxford's universities have been told their results could be delayed because of industrial action which has seen lecturers refuse to set, mark or invigilate exams and course work since March.

Oxford Brookes Deputy Vice-Chancellor Rex Knight said the university supported the case for better pay but did not support the national unions' action in withholding exam marks.

He said: "This raises the prospect that some students may not be able to graduate this summer. This is a very serious situation and we have to do all we can to make sure that we meet our obligation to our students. In the interests of our students and staff we are looking to bringing the dispute to an end.

"We regret being placed in this position and stress that our focus remains on finding a satisfactory solution to this dispute."

Staff at Oxford University are also taking part in the industrial action, and Terry Hoad, their AUT representative, said there was a real danger of students' papers not being marked if employers failed to return to the negotiating table.

He added: "This is a very difficult situation. We have said repeatedly that we do not want to harm our students' progress but this is the only way we can put pressure on our employers.

"This is a serious matter of conscience for some of our members because our tutorial system means there is an especially close relationship with our students.

"Not everyone will take part in the strike, but if damage is done to students' progress then it has to be the responsibility of the employers."

Oxford Brookes law student Lauren Taylor, who was sitting a final exam on Tuesday, said: "It is just added pressure for these exams because we don't know how we have done in our course work. It's a pain, but at the same time I do understand where they are coming from."