Lecturers at Scottish universities are to be balloted on industrial action in a row over pensions, which could include a marking boycott and a refusal to set exams.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) in 67 universities will vote in the coming weeks on whether to begin the action.

The union is protesting over changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the pension scheme for staff at the UK's "old" universities, covering the most selective institutions, including those in the Russell Group.

Among those to be balloted are staff at Glasgow and Dundee universities.

The union warned any industrial action would stop students being set coursework or receiving formal marks and feedback, as well as halting exams.

It said "radical" pension changes put forward by employers have been prompted by an expected deficit in the USS scheme. The union claims the way the deficit was being forecast was too simplistic.

Lecturers would see tens of thousands of pounds a year wiped off their pensions if proposals made by Universities UK (UUK) were introduced, according to research for the UCU. Union general secretary Sally Hunt said: "Staff see their pensions as deferred pay and are understandably angry at the impact these proposals would have.

"We are making it very clear in this ballot that if members back industrial action, and there is no negotiated solution, we will be looking to quickly move to an assessment and exam boycott.

"We do not accept the way the scheme's deficit is being valued or share the overly cautious and pessimistic view which has prompted plans for deep cuts to pension provision.

"We want a solution that protects the pensions of staff and ensures the scheme remains attractive to new members of the profession."

The union said the changes included ending the final-salary pension scheme, starting an earnings cap of £40,000 above which benefits would not apply, and lecturers paying more into the scheme.

Staff who had worked longest and moved up their pay grade would be hit hardest by the changes, said the UCU.