Lecturers threaten to paralyse university

Lecturers have warned they will bring London's largest university to a halt in a strike over working conditions.

The long-running contractual dispute between London Metropolitan University and academics' union NATFHE shows no sign of being resolved.

Now union delegates have voted two to one in favour of a stoppage in the next few weeks.

Its ruling executive will decide next week when to stage the walkout.

NATFHE has already staged two strikes in the year-long dispute, which it claims is the university's fault for trying to impose a new staff contract without negotiation.

The union's leader Paul Mackney said: "This is the longest running dispute in higher education and a sorry advert for the senior management of London Met university, whose confrontational style still baffles us."