Forum Post: Britain's Biggest Strike since 1926 Due on 30/Nov/2011
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 28, 2011, 6:31 p.m. EST by SmithGoesWashington
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A mass walkout by millions of workers over pensions on Wednesday is set to be the biggest strike since 1926. It is said that there was "absolutely no chance" of reaching a deal that would prevent the strike from going ahead.
Nurses, teachers, council workers and many others are set to walk out on Wednesday against government plans to short-change them on their pensions.
The plot to force workers to pay more and get less in return has swelled worker's ranks, workers leaders believe.
Good, lets get a large strike going for the 30th in the states.
London: Large parts of Britain today witnessed a day-long strike called by four major unions that led thousands of state schools being closed and air passengers at Heathrow and elsewhere delayed at immigration desks.
As a show of defiance against the striking teachers, Prime Minister David Cameron dropped his two elder children Nancy, 7, and Arthur, 5, to school in west London this morning.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg preferred not to take his children to their school which was closed.
Elsewhere, nearly 12,000 state-run schools were officially closed. The strike has been called against pension reforms and spending cuts that have led to thousands of job losses.
The four unions on strike are the Public and Commercial Services Union, Universities and College Union, Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the National Union of Teachers.
At Heathrow airport, passengers said they were delayed at the immigration desk but "not excessively delayed".
In a heated discussion on BBC Radio this morning, cabinet office minister Francis Maude said: "All the early indications I'm getting from airports and ports are that fewer (union) members are heeding inflamed calls for action, more are turning up for work and we are maintaining a much better service than we expected to be able to".
He said the strike was premature given that negotiations on pensions were on-going, and noted that Unison, the biggest public sector union with 1.3 million members, had opted to keep talking, although it may strike later this year.
He added: "You cannot continue to have more and more people in retirement being supported by fewer and fewer people in work. Long-term reform is needed".
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said his members were left with no choice but to take action as the government was not prepared to "compromise on any of the central issues of the strike. While they are talking, they are not negotiating". Kevin Courtney, Deputy General Secretary of the NUT, said early indications suggested "large numbers" of schools were closed or partially affected by the action.
He said: "We realize that's very disruptive for parents and we do regret that. We had hoped to reach a settlement before the industrial action, but the government isn't serious about talks".
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/hit-by-cuts-pension-reforms-britain-goes-on-strike-115912&cp
training web page http://tinyurl.com/7rvpv43 thrasymaque
Wow. The banks have been seizing pension funds in the private sector for some time, but now governments are in on the act too? Disgusting. This is the worker's money, they paid into these funds out of their own pockets.