UK unions threaten worst wave of strikes since 1926
18 Jun 2011
Britain will be hit by the biggest wave of industrial action since the 1926 general strike following the government's pension reforms, the leader of the largest public sector union, Unison, has said in a warning.
According to unions, the government's proposal to raise the age for retirement of public sector workers to 66 in line with everyone else was 'plain barking mad'.
They have also threatened to walk out at the negotiating table, as they had been warned it would be a 'colossal mistake' to reject the deal.
Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, has now vowed, "It will be the biggest since the general strike. It won't be the miners' strike. We are going to win."
But the government insists, the time had come for public sector workers to realise that private sector workers could no longer afford to pay for their retirements.
According to treasury chief secretary Danny Alexander people were living longer by 10 years since the 1970s and the age at retirement had to reflect this.
He added since all people now lived longer, it meant more years spent in work as well as in retirement.
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