Britain faces massive strikes over pension changes

By Karla Adam,
WashPost
Thursday, June 30, 4:15 AM

LONDON–Some three quarters of a million public sector employees began striking across Britain on Thursday, shutting down thousands of schools and triggering severe delays and disruption at airports in what organizers said was the biggest strike in a generation.

Union organizers said that more than 750,000 public employees — including teachers, lecturers, court staff, passport officers, and other civil servants — walked out during the one-day strike over proposed changes to their pension system.

A massive rally was planned for 1 p.m. local time in central London (8 a.m. in Washington).

A showdown between the public sector and the government seemed almost inevitable after the British government announced ambitious plans to slash $128 billion in public spending over the next four years.

(More here.)