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Public sector workers across the UK stage a 24-hour strike today as a fresh wave of industrial action sweeps through "austerity Britain".
Services including job centres and courts will be hit and thousands of schools closed as workers walkout in protest at controversial plans to change their pensions, cut jobs and freeze pay.
Picket lines were being mounted outside school gates, courts, jobcentres, Parliament, driving test centres and government as the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and three teaching unions protest at the planned changes.
They say the proposals will mean working longer and contributing more, for a reduced pension in retirement.
The government says the plans are "fair to taxpayers" and the public sector.
Both the coalition and Labour have condemned the strike action, although Ed Miliband accused the government of mishandling negotiations with the unions.
At Wednesday's prime minister's questions, David Cameron said MPs should face "exactly the same changes" to their pensions as those imposed on public sector workers.
Claire Perry (Con, Devizes) suggested that MPs should reform their own pensions.
She asked: "Do you agree with me that we should be in the vanguard of reforming our own pensions so we can look our public sector constituents in the face?"
In response, the prime minister agreed, he said: "The increase in contributions should apply to the MPs system, even though it is a system where we pay in quite a lot.
"We are saying right across the board that the increase in pensions contributions is right to create a healthier, long-term system."
Article Comments
We went to show solidarity with striking public sector workers.
The government is picking on workers to pay for the bailout, mistakes and greed of bankers, but driving up pension contributions for a worse pension will lead to people opting out of schemes.
It's false economics which will cost us all more in the long-run and a blatant attack on working people.
Tony Kearns, deputy general secretary, CWU
30th Jun 2011 at 3:26 pm
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