Hundreds of university lecturers in Oxford have voted to go on strike after rejecting their latest pay offer in a national ballot.

Members of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) voted to reject a pay offer of 6.44 per cent over two years the a national poll.

A total of 67 per cent of members voted for strike action, which means AUT members are likely to strike for an entire week, beginning on Monday, February 23.

The National Union of Students also plans to hold a week of protest against plans for variable top-up fees at the same time in what has been dubbed a "week of disruption" for universities.

The strike would affect Oxford University, which has 659 employees belonging to the AUT, much more than Oxford Brookes which employs relatively few members.

The final decision on whether to begin strike action was due to be taken by the AUT's executive committee today (February 13).

AUT general secretary Sally Hunt said: "Our members, who have turned out in unprecedented numbers, have comprehensively rejected the employers proposals that would lead to many lecturers losing £6,300 over eight years, researchers losing £17,300 over nine years and senior support staff losing £47,000 over 21 years.

"AUT members feel very angry that their pay has declined by 40 per cent in comparison to the rest of the workforce and they know full well that the employers current proposals will make matters worse for many.

"It's crystal clear that under the proposed package, academics and senior support staff would get paid according to where they work, not what they do."

A poll of 731 students at Newcastle, Birmingham, Oxford, the LSE and Roehampton showed only 12.3 per cent of students opposed the union taking industrial action.

NUS president Mandy Telford said: "The NUS recognises that industrial action may be necessary by the AUT to protect its members' interests."