UK braces itself for public strike on 10th May

Nearly 400,000 public sector workers are set to strike on 10^th May over the proposed bill on pension reforms.

The strike is scheduled a day after the Queen’s speech when the announcement on the controversial bill will be made.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union with 290,000 workers and Unite – comprising 100,000 NHS members – will resort to trade union action. Their joint membership means that the 10^th May strike could be the biggest strike since 30^th November last year.

Members have blamed Chancellor George Osborne’s “cruel” and “unfair” attempts to save the treasury billions of pounds through the new bill. Not only do NHS members face paying £30 extra per month into their pension pots, pay freezes and prospect of a regional pay scale scheme are also on the cards.

Meanwhile the Police Federation has planned a march on the same day of the strike, against the 20% cuts to the police force. They have expressed concerns that the public sector strikes could overshadow its planned march, also scheduled for 10^th May.

The spate of strike action however does not end there.

Workers who maintain London’s Tube lines will walk out at 4pm on Tuesday 24^th April, causing disruptions across London’s Piccadilly, Northern and Jubilee lines. The workers will return to work at the same time on Friday.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) general secretary Bob Crow has said his members were simply seeking “basic rights” in being allowed to join the Transport for London pension scheme.

Poorna Rodrigo