Lecturers and academics at several Scottish universities have voted "overwhelmingly" to support industrial action over pensions.

The University and College Union (UCU) says 87% of members who voted in the UK-wide consultative ballot this week backed industrial action.

UCU has around 5000 members at Scottish institutions affected by the issue, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen universities.

Staff are attempting to defend the benefits of the existing Universities Superannuation Scheme as negotiations continue with the employers' body Universities UK (UUK).

Another ballot would be required to take place before any strike but the USU said the vote showed support for industrial action was "overwhelming."

The scheme affects the majority of staff at older universities.

UCU Scotland official Mary Senior said: "This result sends a clear message that UCU members are prepared to take sustained industrial action in order to protect their pensions.

"Staff are fed up with being treated poorly by employers who seem only to be interested in defending their own sky-high salaries or bloated pension pots.

"We hope this ballot result finally concentrates the employers' minds.

"Principals must now act to defend staff pensions as vigorously as they have defended their own salaries, rather than look away while USS benefits are cut."

Alistair Jarvis, UUK chief executive, said: "Challenging economic circumstances have resulted in USS having a large deficit and the cost of funding future pensions has risen to an unaffordable level.

"The Pensions Regulator's view makes it clear that USS pension costs and risk have to be controlled.

"Universities can't afford to pay more into pensions without diverting money from teaching and research, which will damage the high standards students rightly expect.

"We recognise the prospect of pension scheme benefit reform will concern employees, but failure to act now risks harming our world class higher education system."

Discussions with the union around the superannuation scheme were ongoing, he said.