STUDENTS at Richmond upon Thames College have backed their teachers in their pay dispute, with 96.5 per cent voting for their cause in a ballot of support last week.

The college's student union held the ballot following their teachers' decisive vote of no confidence in principal Eric Kirby last month.

The vote saw the overwhelming majority of the 684 voting students approving the motion to support staff who are protesting about their pay being cut, while Mr Kirby was allegedly awarded a 13 per cent rise.

Students fear that their lecturers' morale has been severely damaged which could threaten the high standards of teaching at the college.

They are now calling on the college's governors to pay lecturers their full entitlement under the agreed pay award, including money paid to the college last year in replacement of the Teacher's Pay Initiative (TPI) which many other colleges have granted to their lecturers.

Student union vice-president Gabriel Brooke-Huntley said: "Students have demonstrated the depth of feeling at the college in their overwhelming support for the lecturers' cause. Put simply, if the lecturers aren't happy, we aren't happy."

Sam Baars, union environment officer added: "By reducing many of their lecturers' pay in real terms, senior management at RUTC are simply refusing to recognise the commitment, hard work and enthusiasm our lecturers put into teaching us and helping us achieve the exceptionally high results we do as a college.

"We risk losing our lecturers to better-paid jobs in school sixth forms, and even other further education colleges.

"The effect this will have on our education is of grave concern to the students, and we will not allow this to happen without a fight."

The college said it always awarded salary increases at a level at least matching the nationally recommended figures.

They believe that many of the statements currently being made by the lecturer's union NATFHE are innaccurate and misleading and much of the information they have supplied to the Student Union is based on misunderstandings and will be meeting with students to explain the situation.

The senior executive management group chairman Bill Treble said: "I am disappointed that this action is being taken and I and other governors have already planned to meet with NATFHE representatives in the near future in order to move things on. I fully support the union's aims to increase pay levels however the methods being used are entirely inappropriate."