A boycott of marking by university lecturers was called off yesterday after bosses and union reps agreed to fresh negotiations.

Academics at pre-1992 universities are in dispute over pension reforms proposed by employers’ association Universities UK — including moving from final salary pensions to career average calculations.

The boycott came into effect on November 6.

But yesterday academics’ union UCU issued a joint statement with Universities UK, saying that they hoped negotiations in the coming weeks would result in a “joint proposal” for “an affordable, sustainable and attractive pension scheme.”

Some universities had threatened to dock lecturers’ entire pay if they took part in the boycott — despite the fact they had not threatened to stop teaching.

UCU had warned that such provocation could force reps to step up industrial action.

The joint statement continued: “Both parties are pleased that the agreement to suspend industrial action at this early stage will mean that students will not have been adversely affected and members of staff will not have had pay deducted.”

“The modest progress achieved so far has been as a result of your action in support of our negotiating strategy,” said UCU general secretary Sally Hunt in a letter to members.

“The employers should be in no doubt that if agreement is not possible, UCU will call upon you to resume the action again in January.”

But in a statement emailed to academics earlier this month, Universities UK said that UCU had themselves proposed “a move from final salary to career revalued benefits.”

It was reported yesterday that 10 union branches had passed motions calling for any proposals for settlement to be put to a conference of UCU’s higher education sector.

Ninety members signed an open letter to Times Higher Education supporting the move.

University of Cambridge senior lecturer Priyamvada Gopal said there was a danger of negotiators settling for “far too little” in the dispute.

“Unfortunately, British academia does suffer from a culture of quiescence,” she told the Star.

“Until this is addressed, it is going to be difficult to slow the ongoing onslaught on working conditions, pay and pensions.”