Times Online March 28, 2006
Pickets at school gates in Burleigh Community College, Loughborough (Darren Staples/Reuters)
Traffic chaos, schools closed as million strike over pensions
By Philippe Naughton
Schools were closed in Scotland, the North of England, Wales and Northern Ireland today and motorists faced disruption as more than a million local authority workers launched industrial action in a long-running row over pensions.
The 24-hour stoppage closed hundreds of schools, libraries and leisure centres and disrupted refuse collection, street cleaning and the running of courts. In some places, burials were cancelled.
The workers are protesting against a decision to overturn a formula - the rule of 85 - under which long-serving staff are able to retire at 60.
Many of their public sector counterparts in the civil service, teaching and the NHS staff retained the right to early retirement after the government backed down over reforms proposed last year.
The 11 unions involved had predicted that 1.5 million council employees would join the action, making it the biggest national stoppage since the General Strike of 1926. It was not yet clear how many had joined in, although the strike's effects were greater in the North of England, where more staff are unionised.
Unison, the biggest union involved, said early indications were that workers were "solidly" supporting the industrial action. Motorists in the North West and North East were among the first to be hit this morning because the strike led to the closure of the Mersey Tunnels in Liverpool and the Metro on Tyneside.
The Mersey Tunnels, which link Liverpool to The Wirral, normally take 80,000 cars a day but only remained open for emergency vehicles. The Mersey ferries were also closed as a result of today’s walkout.
The Metro rail system on Tyneside was shut and the Tyne Tunnel crossing, which normally carries thousands of cars and lorries during the morning rush-hour, was also closed. Multi-storey car parks in the heart of Newcastle did not open and the city’s traffic wardens joined the strike. Most schools in the Tyneside region were shut.
Andrew Sugden, policy director of the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: "It is the ordinary man and woman on the street who will be hit hardest. They face transport havoc trying to get to work."
Charlie Syme, Unison’s northeast regional organiser, said that the strike would cause major disruption, adding: "This is not what we want to see but unfortunately we have no other way of bringing it to the attention of the public."
Unison said 120 schools, 24 libraries and 15 leisure centres in Liverpool were closed by the strike. Several hundred schools were expected to close in Wales, while other areas would suffer major disruption to council services. In Scotland, up to 660 schools were closed in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, was to tour picket lines in London today before joining a rally in Westminster alongside leaders of several other unions involved in the dispute. He said today that the stance of the Government and the Local Government Association over the pensions of council workers was "immoral".
The unions are protesting at plans to scrap a so-called rule of 85 which allows council staff to retire at 60 if their age and length of service adds up to 85 years.
Mr Prentis said that the Government had reached a deal last year with millions of civil servants, teachers and health workers allowing them to retire at 60. "All we are asking for is the same kind of protection for council workers," said Mr Prentis.
thetimesonline.co.uk
Pickets at school gates in Burleigh Community College, Loughborough (Darren Staples/Reuters)
Traffic chaos, schools closed as million strike over pensions
By Philippe Naughton
Schools were closed in Scotland, the North of England, Wales and Northern Ireland today and motorists faced disruption as more than a million local authority workers launched industrial action in a long-running row over pensions.
The 24-hour stoppage closed hundreds of schools, libraries and leisure centres and disrupted refuse collection, street cleaning and the running of courts. In some places, burials were cancelled.
The workers are protesting against a decision to overturn a formula - the rule of 85 - under which long-serving staff are able to retire at 60.
Many of their public sector counterparts in the civil service, teaching and the NHS staff retained the right to early retirement after the government backed down over reforms proposed last year.
The 11 unions involved had predicted that 1.5 million council employees would join the action, making it the biggest national stoppage since the General Strike of 1926. It was not yet clear how many had joined in, although the strike's effects were greater in the North of England, where more staff are unionised.
Unison, the biggest union involved, said early indications were that workers were "solidly" supporting the industrial action. Motorists in the North West and North East were among the first to be hit this morning because the strike led to the closure of the Mersey Tunnels in Liverpool and the Metro on Tyneside.
The Mersey Tunnels, which link Liverpool to The Wirral, normally take 80,000 cars a day but only remained open for emergency vehicles. The Mersey ferries were also closed as a result of today’s walkout.
The Metro rail system on Tyneside was shut and the Tyne Tunnel crossing, which normally carries thousands of cars and lorries during the morning rush-hour, was also closed. Multi-storey car parks in the heart of Newcastle did not open and the city’s traffic wardens joined the strike. Most schools in the Tyneside region were shut.
Andrew Sugden, policy director of the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: "It is the ordinary man and woman on the street who will be hit hardest. They face transport havoc trying to get to work."
Charlie Syme, Unison’s northeast regional organiser, said that the strike would cause major disruption, adding: "This is not what we want to see but unfortunately we have no other way of bringing it to the attention of the public."
Unison said 120 schools, 24 libraries and 15 leisure centres in Liverpool were closed by the strike. Several hundred schools were expected to close in Wales, while other areas would suffer major disruption to council services. In Scotland, up to 660 schools were closed in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, was to tour picket lines in London today before joining a rally in Westminster alongside leaders of several other unions involved in the dispute. He said today that the stance of the Government and the Local Government Association over the pensions of council workers was "immoral".
The unions are protesting at plans to scrap a so-called rule of 85 which allows council staff to retire at 60 if their age and length of service adds up to 85 years.
Mr Prentis said that the Government had reached a deal last year with millions of civil servants, teachers and health workers allowing them to retire at 60. "All we are asking for is the same kind of protection for council workers," said Mr Prentis.
thetimesonline.co.uk