They have an increased amount of paper work to deal with, they are working longer hours, and it is not being recognised

Dilys Hardacre, Natfe in Wales

Dilys Hardacre, Natfe's regional organiser for Wales, said that recent increases announced for lecturers in Scotland and England had prompted action.

"At the moment we are suffering badly," she told BBC Radio Wales on Tuesday.

"In Wales we are worse off than anywhere else."

Ms Hardacre said new lecturers could expect a starting salary of less than �14,000 - at a time when work and responsibilities were increasing considerably.

"We have more than 3,700 lecturers in Wales who are teaching twice the amount of students than previously," she said.

'Learning society'

"They have an increased amount of paper work to deal with, they are working longer hours, and it is not being recognised."

Natfe members say that the assembly Education Minister Jane Davidson and the new post-16 training organisation Elwa have pledged to turn Wales into "a learning society".

But, they say, little is being done to encourage good lecturers to stay in Wales.

"We have got to start saying to the Assembly in very strong terms that they have got to respect us for the work we do".