Millions of public sector workers and protesters are today staging a walkout over the government’s changes to pensions contributions, in what is being hailed as the largest UK strike for a generation. Fourteen trade unions initially committed to the action during the TUC conference in September, but further support has since been pledged, raising the total number of participating unions to 33.
The unions’ strike represents a critical response to the government’s plan to increase pensions contributions beyond the agreed rate that came into force in 2008. Unions argue this overhaul should have meant the contribution rate would not need to be re-examined for a generation, but the government is now planning to remodel the rates at a cost to public sector employees. In one example, TUC calculations of the changes suggest that a full-time teacher earning a basic pay salary of £25k could face contributions 23.44% a year higher by 2014.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the intention of the 24-hour walkout is to call for pensions justice in both the public and private sectors, but the strike has grown to represent a broader range of protesters’ concerns about the government’s austerity measures. Employees working in sectors including health, education, local government and the civil service will be joined by a number of groups and individuals outside of the public sector payroll to protest against these measures – including student groups railing against tuition fee hikes and privatisation in the education sector and Occupy London activists calling for greater efforts to be made towards social and economic reform.
In the build-up to today’s strike, Occupy London has been running a number of supporting events, including union outreach activities and talks on subjects including the importance of strikes and unionisation in capitalist societies. Today, Occupy London activists have made plans to raise the voices of the suffering members of society further through direct action in connection with the Shut Down The City campaign.