Academics' union UCU held out an 11th-hour olive branch yesterday to university bosses facing a mass marking boycott over a raid on pensions.

Lecturers and tutors at 69 sites across Britain will down pens from next week over plans to axe final-salary pensions and offer lower amounts based on "career-average" wages.

The universities of Bradford and Leeds will be the first hit on November 6 - a day before the next scheduled negotiation session between unions and employers.