Lecturers are also to vote on action against changes to their pensions

The Natfhe union says that these colleges have not implemented the rises agreed in a national pay deal.

The ballot of more than 9,000 lecturers produced a three to one majority in favour of taking strike action.

The one-day walk out in the affected colleges will take place on 24 February.

Pension dispute

The union says the deal would increase pay by an average of 8% - and is part of its campaign to have equal pay with school teachers.

The Association of Colleges attacked the strike decision as "premature".

"The majority of these colleges are still in pay talks and most are experiencing financial difficulty due to the current funding regime. Almost all will not yet know what their entire financial envelope is for the coming year," said the association's deputy chief executive, Sue Dutton.

"Therefore we continue to argue that this industrial action is premature and we would ask the union to continue to discuss pay arrangements locally in good faith without resorting to this action."

The union is also threatening to embarrass the government with strike action, during what could be the run-up to a general election.

Natfhe is to ballot members on taking action against proposed changes to pensions.

If a strike went ahead, it would be held on 14 April, only weeks before the date that has been widely trailed as a likely day for the general election.

The protest is against plans to raise lecturers' pension age from 60 to 65.

Political pressure

"Not everyone can have the energy and health to work beyond 60. Natfhe wants lecturers and others to have choices about when to retire, not financial pressure to work until they drop," said the union's general secretary, Paul Mackney.

"The whole plan should be re-thought and re-assessed," said Mr Mackney, leader of the biggest further education college lecturers' union.

There have been suggestions that the biggest teachers' union, the National Union of Teachers, would also be considering action over pensions.

The annual round of teachers' conferences coincides with what could be an election campaign - and with education likely to be a political battleground - it could see teachers' unions applying pre-election pressure on politicians.

The previous education secretary, Charles Clarke, did not address the NUT's annual conference, following the barracking of previous ministerial speeches.