University employers today sought to play down claims that striking lecturers were on their way to shutting down higher education in Wales, ahead of a national strike on Wednesday.
The University and College's Employers Association (Ucea) said support for strike action was not as strong as had been claimed by the Association of University Teachers.
The AUT is striking this week against a new pay deal that it claims will leave some employees out of pocket. The action is in conjunction with the National Union of Students, which is protesting over top-up fees. The protests will culminate in a national walkout on Wednesday.
Earlier today, Matt Waddup, vice-president of the AUT, said support for the strike was very strong.
"We're expecting all bar a few of our members to be striking today," he said. "Cardiff University is absolutely dead, there are no students on campus... It's a powerful start to the week of action. University life in Wales is grinding to a standstill."
However, Jocelyn Prudence, chief executive of Ucea, said: "Talk of a shutdown is much exaggerated, especially as there wasn't even a strike ballot at one in three universities, and its impact on at least another 40 is questionable.
"Clearly 95% of the 320,000 staff in higher education haven't voted for a strike, including two thirds of AUT members. This dispute never needed to come to a strike; it can be resolved by constructive talks."
She added: "Linking the issues of pay modernisation and tuition fees is both opportunistic and illogical, and shows the isolation of the AUT's position."
