IT seems hard to believe that college lecturers earn around 12 per cent less than school teachers.

If the profession continues to lag behind in pay you have to ask how colleges are going to recruit and keep academics to inspire the country's intellectual elite.

Education is one of the key areas most people would like to see improved in this country so it makes sense to remunerate a proper job with proper money.

As long as disruption to students is avoided the lecturers should as they did last year make their point and fight for the wages they deserve.