| Thousands of teachers and lecturers will stage a 24-hour strike on Wednesday in the continuing bitter dispute over the Government's controversial public-sector pension reforms. The action by members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and University and College Union (UCU) in London will close colleges, universities and schools across the capital. Meanwhile, health workers and other public-sector staff across the country will stage protests and demonstrations amid continued opposition to the planned pension changes. The action follows last year's strike by more than one and a half million public-sector workers, with most unions continuing to refuse to sign up to new pension arrangements. Union officials said public-sector employees remained opposed to Government plans to make them pay more and work longer for their pensions and get less in retirement. The first stage of an increase in pension contributions for teachers, lecturers and other public-sector employees comes into force next week. UCU and NUT members will march through central London and will hold a rally outside the headquarters of the Education Department in Westminster. UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: "UCU members are unlikely militants and would much rather be doing their jobs then taking strike action and losing a day's pay. "However, it is not fair for ordinary people to suffer huge cuts in their standards of living at a time when the Government is handing out huge tax give-aways to big business and high earners." NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: "Teachers cannot be expected to do anything other than defend the right to a pension which they have paid into in good faith, especially as the Government has shown no evidence that their pensions are either unsustainable or unaffordable." |