British public sector strike begins

BRITISH public sector workers went on strike from midnight in the bitter dispute over pensions, which union leaders warned had been made worse by measures in the autumn statement to curb pay and bring forward the state pension age.

Up to two million workers ranging from lollipop ladies and refuse collectors to weather forecasters and nuclear physicists are staging a 24-hour walkout in the biggest outbreak of industrial unrest since the 1979 winter of discontent.

Picket lines will be mounted outside schools, courts, Government buildings and job centres, while long queues are expected to build up at airports including Heathrow.

The Government told unions the strike will achieve nothing as it issued a fresh warning about the impact of the walkout at airports.

Dozens of airlines have cancelled services to Heathrow. BAA has asked airlines to fly planes into the airport only half full while the strike is on.

John Longworth, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said the strike was “irresponsible and reckless”, adding: “Trade unions are living in a bubble and ignoring the fact that Britain has to make its way in a competitive world.”