Public sector workers vote for strike in pension row

One of the biggest walkouts in British history was in prospect yesterday after public servants voted to strike over pensions in the run-up to the election.

One of the biggest walkouts in British history was in prospect yesterday after public servants voted to strike over pensions in the run-up to the election.

More than 1.5 million local authority staff and civil servants opted for 24-hour walkouts, the first of which is scheduled for 23 March. The industrial action would cause massive disruption to public services; closing schools, libraries, Jobcentres and council offices. Further stoppages are threatened.

Talks are to be held next week between the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, employers and unions to avert the action, which could involve further day-long strikes ahead of the general election which is expected on 5 May.

The National Union of Teachers also announced a strike ballot over Government reforms to pensions that could mean stoppages in April.

While union leaders pointed out that the majorities in favour of strikes in ballot results announced yesterday were overwhelming, managers argued that the turnouts were low.

The majority in favour of action at Unison was 73 per cent but the turnout was just 25 per cent. At PCS, the largest civil service union, the majority stood at 67 per cent with 37.5 per cent of members voting.

The disputes are over plans to increase the retirement age of public servants from 60 to 65 and make changes to pension schemes that unions said would make workers worse off.

Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, said his members were not prepared to accept changes to their pensions by diktat. He said the average local government pension was just £3,800 a year. Mr Prentis said: "Unison wants real negotiations for the first time on a sustainable good quality pension scheme which benefits all local government workers and which councils and staff can afford.

"Let's hope the employers see sense and abandon these changes so that real negotiations can take place."

Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the PCS, said the "overwhelming" ballot result showed that it was time for the Government to sit up and take note. "Tens of thousands of hardworking civil and public servants won't sit idly by and let their pension rights be eroded," he said.

Sir Sandy Bruce Lockhart, the chairman of the Local Government Association said, councils needed a sustainable pension scheme that was fair to its employees and national and local council tax payers alike. "The current scheme is unsustainable and changes must be made. Industrial action at this stage will do nothing to achieve this objective. This will be done through sharing accurate information."