Lecturers at four universities have voted to strike after bosses stopped their pay for supporting a boycott on marking in England, academics' union UCU said yesterday.

UCU is in a 69-university dispute with employers over proposed changes to lecturers' pensions.

Union members launched a boycott of assessments and marking of students' work on November 6.

But some university managements responded by stopping the pay of lecturers taking part - even though they continued to do other work.

Staff voted to strike in protest at the University of Salford, Greater Manchester, the University of Bradford, Yorkshire, the University of Liverpool, Merseyside, and the University of Surrey, in Guildford.

Bradford and Liverpool voted for indefinite strike action. Surrey opted for five days.

The strike action is due to begin on Monday November 24, but UCU has yet to ratify the strike action nationally.