Lecturers at the University of Kent in Medway will begin the first of two days’ strike action on Tuesday in a dispute over their pensions.

The staff, who are members of the University and College Union, are walking out in protest against changes to their retirement scheme which they say will cut benefits to both existing and past employees.

The union says it is hopeful that strike action can be avoided, although it claims the employers have rejected its invitation to meet for talks about the University Superannuation Scheme or let ACAS to arbitrate.

A picket line was due to form outside the Compass Centre, at the Chatham Maritime campus, from 8am.

The action, which is also being carried out by lecturers at the university's Canterbury campus, is said to have the support students from the Kent Union.

Kent UCA pensions officer Prof Ian Bruce said there were 545 members at both campuses, but admitted that only a third of them had responded to the ballot for industrial action.

Of those, about 75 per cent had voted in favour of strike action.

He explained: “Because the process was stalled by the University we did not have as much time as we would have liked to hold the ballot and it was during the half-term when quite a few were away.”

But he believed the union still had a mandate to call a strike which he said was a last resort because their employers would not talk to them or agree to the dispute going to ACAS.

He said: “New pension arrangements are being imposed on us without any consultation which will seriously affect our members’ benefits.

“We realise the pension scheme has to meet future demands and we were prepared to increase our contributions and accepted we would have to work longer.

"He said he did not think the two-day strike would adversely affect the students but hinted that if agreement could not be reached, more focussed action might be taken at a later date.”