LECTURERS at Oxford Brookes University have agreed to do all they can so students can graduate on time but are calling on senior managers to resign following a bitter pay dispute.

The University and College Union called off an exam boycott this week after agreeing to accept a 13.1 per cent increase over three years well below the 23 per cent rise they were seeking.

Brookes is aiming to release all exam marks by the end of June, with graduation ceremonies going ahead in September, as planned.

But academics say the draconian approach of senior managers who threatened to dock 100 per cent of lecturers' pay if they continued to strike, has severely damaged industrial relations at the university.

Bob Langridge, the union's Headington branch secretary, said Brookes had only backed down on the pay suspension threat once it knew the boycott was about to be called off.

He said: "People feel the pay deal is not sufficient and they are extremely angry with the management.

"There's a great deal of bitterness about the way that Brookes handled this, taking the absolutely hardest line possible, and there were calls for resignations.

"A lot of non-union members withheld marks because they were so angry.

"I have worked here for 17 years and the strength of feeling among staff is unprecedented.

"The idea wasn't to harm the students and we're going to release the marks as quickly as we can, but it's like putting Humpty back together again and it's going to take a while."

John Lucas, president of the student union, has welcomed the end of the boycott and hopes industrial relations will be healed as soon as possible.

He said: "We are in a difficult position in the middle of it. I can understand the unions feel Brookes took an extreme approach but I can also understand why managers felt this was necessary.

"I would like to think that something can be done to restore the faith of our lecturers' in the management."

The Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes, Prof Graham Upton, said managers were working closely with unions to process all outstanding marks as quickly as possible.

He said: "This has been a very difficult time for the higher education sector nationally and for staff and students at Oxford Brookes. I am hopeful that the latest announcement will bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion for all parties."

A spokesman for Oxford University said that exams had been going ahead during the dispute, without too much disruption to students.