College lecturers are being advised to accept a pay offer that would put a halt to 32 days of planned strike action.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said the offer from Colleges Scotland represented a "major victory in the campaign for fair play".

Lecturers had gone on strike for one day earlier in March as a result of the dispute, with a further 32 days of action planned if no deal was reached.

However, a breakthrough was made last week after 12 hours of talks, with a special meeting of the EIS Further Education Lecturers' Association (FELA) now unanimously recommending the offer be accepted.

The dispute between lecturers and college bosses centred over pay, with the union claiming wide discrepancies in salary existed for staff doing the same job in different institutions.

The two-year deal, which will now go out to a ballot of EIS members, will see staff given either 1% of their salary or £300, whichever is greater, along with a further payment of £100 in April.

In 2016-17 there will be a flat-rate pay rise of £450 and the colleges and the union will work to "jointly develop a roadmap towards a harmonised workforce for the future".

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "EIS-FELA members have achieved a major victory in the campaign for fair pay and equal pay in all colleges.

"Last week, colleges were issuing statements and writing to newspapers claiming that they could not afford to offer a better deal and that the EIS pay claim was unrealistic.

"Now, after one day of co-ordinated strike action by college lecturers and one day of face-to-face negotiations, we have a greatly-improved offer which addresses each of the priorities set by the EIS.

"Our EIS-FELA members should take great pride in what they have achieved and I would urge every member to use their vote in the forthcoming ballot and to vote to accept the new pay offer."

Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said the decision by the union to recommend the deal "is a significant step forward".

She stated: "We hope that all the staff will accept this improved offer and that together we can work towards a modernised workforce that will deliver the best possible experience for students."