BOSSES at one of the region's leading further education colleges have said they "very much regret" plans by lecturers to hold a one-day strike next Tuesday.

Darlington College of Technology is one of a number in the region to be hit by the strike called by lecturers' union Natfhe.

About a quarter of its teaching staff are expected to walk out after a national union ballot voted in favour of industrial action.

Lecturers feel aggrieved by a growing pay gap between their salaries and that of school teachers. They have demanded a flat rate increase in their salary of £3,000 as the first step in a staged award to help close the gap.

A college spokesman said it had honoured all nationally-awarded pay awards since it became responsible for its own budget eight years ago, and it regretted the current situation.

He said: "The current Natfhe claims are not considered to be affordable within current funding arrangements.

"But we are currently assessing a number of new Government funding initiatives, which will hopefully result in improvements to the terms and employment of the lecturers."

The spokesman said that the strike would have some impact on teaching, but the college hoped that most students would be unaffected.

The national ballot found that 65 per cent of Natfhe members were in favour of strike action.

A member of staff, who did not want to be named, said: "The staff must be the most poorly paid in the region.

"There is no overtime pay and we have short holidays.

"The people on the front line - the lecturers who deal with the students - are being ridden over roughshod."

Lecturers at the college received a 3.3 per cent pay raise last year, but are thought to be upset at previous pay awards to senior management staff.

l Bishop Auckland College is staying open on Tuesday even though about 100 full and part-time lecturers are expected to join the strike.

Natfhe represents 95 per cent of full-time teaching staff.

Branch secretary John Gilmore said: "Few people like taking strike action, but after several years of worsening pay and terms and conditions lectures have had enough."