College lecturers are being balloted over strike action in a dispute over pay.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has opened a statutory industrial action ballot for lecturers at 16 colleges across Scotland.

The strike ballot is in support of a pay claim for 2015-16 put forward by the EIS Further Education Lecturers Association (Fela).

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "The EIS submitted a pay claim more than 15 months ago, seeking a fair cost of living increase for lecturers and for colleges to commit to addressing the current pay inequity across the sector.

"Colleges are obliged to deliver the Scottish Government's commitment for national bargaining on pay and conditions, so it is unacceptable that they have tabled an offer that would widen, rather than narrow, pay differentials for lecturers doing the same job in different colleges.

"The fact that colleges are now threatening to impose this unfair offer will only strengthen lecturers' resolve and lead to increased support for strike action."

EIS-Fela president John Kelly added: "Colleges are intending to impose an unreasonable, inequitable and non-agreed pay settlement on FE (further education) lecturers.

"This type of management imposition is not what lecturers expected from the much-lauded return to national bargaining that was promised by the Scottish Government."

The statutory postal ballot will close on Friday March 4.

Colleges Scotland said it was "disappointed" by the action, which it argued could disadvantage students.

The EIS pay claim "represents an average pay increase of over 13% across all lecturers", the body said.

"In any walk of life, that is an exceptional claim and in the current financial climate it is completely unrealistic," a statement said.

"The EIS believe that a 1% increase is not enough. Our existing offer is in line with public sector pay policy, which has been accepted by three other unions already.

"Unfortunately, the college sector simply does not have access to additional funds to deliver more."

Chief executive Shona Struthers added: "The college sector is committed to national bargaining and to addressing pay differentials.

"However, this cannot be done overnight nor in isolation to conditions of service, which for lecturing staff are very generous.

"The EIS position is so far from what is realistic that we fear any industrial action will not only detrimentally affect students but also do little to improve lecturers' prospects of reaching a pay settlement this year."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Any ballot for industrial action is disappointing, and strike action is in no-one's interests, least of all students and their families.

"As employers, decisions on pay are a matter for colleges and we expect both management and staff representatives to work together to find a solution in the best interest of students."