Public Sector Strikes Hit Britain

One of the biggest Public Sector strikes in recent history has hit Britain today, with as many as 750,000 workers staging a 24-hour protest over changes to their pensions.

Workers from schools, colleges, airports, ports, courts and prisons have all refused to show up for work in what some union officials are calling "the best supported strike we have ever seen". This action is the result of new Government plans to change public sector pensions which they claim are currently costing the taxpayer too much money as life spans continue to increase. However, workers' unions believe that the changes are completely unjustified and will force their members to work well in to their 60's and then receive a pension too small to comfortably live on.

Chaos and Closures

Schools are one of the worst affected sectors, as roughly one third have had to close today, whilst another third will be partly closed. This equates to about 12,000 schools around the UK being affected, leaving hundreds of thousands of children at home for the day.

Similarly, holidaymakers are facing travel chaos, as striking immigration and customs staff are causing long queues and delays for anyone trying to travel into the UK today. However, people leaving the UK to go abroad will not be affected as they only come in to contact with security staff employed by the airports who are not taking action today.

Protest Action

The striking workers have set up pickets at schools around the country, and are attending huge marches through many major cities. The largest rally is in London, where tens of thousands of protesters have already begun to march through the centre. They have been joined by students, anti tax avoidance group UK Uncut and other campaigners who are all holding their own demonstrations in London.

Leading members of the unions such as Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, believe that the strikes were forced on them by the Government's refusal to "compromise on any of the central issues of the strike".

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