Lecturers said their pay had been "seriously eroded"

About 1,600 members are expected to walk out of colleges and universities in the UK on 7 March.

Queen's University, the University of Ulster, the Open University and St Mary's and Stranmillis teacher training colleges will be affected.

AUT and Natfhe members said they would not work on that day unless a deal was reached with employers before then.

After the strike, the Association of University Teachers and the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education plan to instruct members to boycott exams and student assessment.

Union members said their pay had been "seriously eroded" over the last 20 years.

It needs to be brought back up to the level of similar professionals, they said.

The unions accused the employers' negotiating panel of procrastination and of making "derisory offers".

They want a three-year pay deal which would give them the average public sector pay rise plus a total of 10% on top.

After the planned strike, further disruption, short of strike action, is planned.

This could affect the marking of students' exam papers and the assessment of their coursework.