HUNDREDS of academic staff in the region went out on strike today and will remain on the picket lines tomorrow as part of a row over pensions.

A month of strikes over changes to lecturers’ pensions affect a total of 64 universities, including universities at Durham, Newcastle and York.

Petitions signed by 80,000 students, many backing the lecturers, are demanding refunds for lost teaching.

But the employers’ group Universities UK says the scheme has a deficit of more than £6bn which it cannot ignore.

Members of the University and College Union say they are striking because changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme will leave a typical lecturer almost £10,000 a year worse off in retirement.

The union estimates that over half a million teaching hours will be lost during an escalating four-week strike programme.

Richard Smith, UCU committee member at Durham University, said: "We had very good turnout at a union meeting to plan our actions at Durham University on Wednesday night, with over 200 people attending.

"It was enormous by normal standards and a very good sign of just how seriously people are taking the crisis in pensions that we are up against.

"We had pickets at five sites around Durham. a lot of people coming past were registering support, including a many students."

He added: "The position the students are in is very unfortunate and we don’t like that at all.

"It is really good to have the support of students, as well as clear signs of their disappointment and anger with university management and the position that they've been put in." A UUK spokesperson said: “UUK remains at the negotiating table, but so far UCU has refused to engage on how best to address the funding challenges facing USS. It is important now that UCU engages on how best to ensure the long-term sustainability of the scheme.”

He added that there are scheduled discussions with the UCU on key issues with the USS.

The spokesman continued: “The changes proposed will make USS secure and sustainable, safeguarding the future of universities.

“University staff will still have a valuable pension scheme, with employer contributions of 18 per cent of salary, double the private sector average.

"This makes strike action very disappointing.”