British public sector workers strike over ‘poverty pay’
LONDON (Reuters) canada goose uk outlet Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers including teachers, council workers and firefighters staged a 24 hour pay strike on canada goose coats sale Thursday in a stoppage that has prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to pledge canada goose clearance sale a crackdown on union powers.
Protesters marched through uk canada goose outlet the streets of many of Britain main cities in one of the biggest co ordinated labour stoppages for three Canada Goose Parka years.
Denouncing what they called pay, cheap canada goose uk they demanded an end to restrictions on wage rises that have been imposed canada goose uk black friday by the Canada Goose Jackets government canada goose clearance over the past four years in an effort to help reduce canada goose store Britain huge budget deficit.
In London, demonstrators marched towards Trafalgar Square at midday, canadian goose jacket chanting Canada Goose Outlet pay, no way, no slave labour to the beat of Canada Goose sale a drum. A giant pair of inflatable scissors, carried by members https://www.canadagooseoutlet4online.com of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), read cuts never heal.
Firefighter Simon Amos, 47, marched wearing his uniform behind a uk canada goose flashing fire engine parading members of Canada Goose Coats On Sale the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).
government are making us pay more for our pension for it to be worth the same, and making us work longer, he said.
The biggest public sector union involved, Unison, said early reports showed the strike had lead to 3,225 school closures with more than 1,000 canada goose coats on sale others partially closed.
Refuse collectors, school support staff, cleaners, street sweepers, care workers, nursery assistants and social workers were joining the strike, it added.
Hot spots, it said, included the North East, Wales and East Midlands where most council offices had closed, canada goose coats while more than60 picket lines have closed most services in Newcastle.
is a massive decision by local government and school support workers to sacrifice a day pay by going on strike, but today they are saying enough is enough, buy canada goose jacket said Unison General Secretary, Dave Prentis in a statement.
Striking public sector workers protest in Trafalgar Square in central London July 10, 2014. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
HARD TIMES Britain coalition government has enforced a policy of pay restraint for public sector workers since coming to power in 2010, imposing a pay freeze until 2012 and then a one percent pay rise cap, resulting in a fall in income in real terms.
The Cabinet Office played down the impact of the strike, saying that most schools in England and Wales were open and that fire services were operating throughout the country.
On Wednesday, Cameron told parliament he planned to limit unions powers to call strikes.
can it possibly be right for our children education to be disrupted by trade unions acting in this way he said.
Tough new laws would be proposed in the Conservative manifesto for next year general election, he added.
These would include the introduction of a minimum threshold in canada goose the number of union members who need to take part in a strike ballot for it to be legal.
The manifesto could also back the introduction canada goose uk shop of a time Canada Goose Online limit on how long a vote in favour of industrial action would remain valid.
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The NUT mandate for Thursday strike, for example, came from a 2012 strike ballot based on a turnout of canada goose factory sale just 27 percent, Cameron said.
The issue of minimum voting thresholds last arose three months ago when cheap Canada Goose a strike by London Underground canada goose black friday sale train drivers Canada Goose online caused huge disruption in the capital, prompting Mayor Boris Johnson to demand that at least half of a union members should vote in favour buy canada goose jacket cheap for a strike to go ahead.
