LONDON (Reuters) – Teachers and civil servants marched through the streets and picketed government buildings across Britain on Thursday in protest at planned pension reforms, launching what could be a long period of labor unrest over austerity measures.
Echoing protests across Europe against spending cuts imposed to reduce debt, the strikes closed many schools, as well as courts and other institutions, but the impact otherwise seemed limited and rallies were largely peaceful and modest in size.
The year-old, center-right government said the majority of civil servants had not gone on strike. But labor leaders warned of further waves of action by Britain's 6 million public sector workers against moves to cut pensions for state employees.
"This country is being led by people who are privileged, people who earn too much money... The gap between rich and poor is getting bigger. We don't think it should be us who are made to suffer for it," said Martin Pitcher, 35, a primary school teacher taking part in the biggest march in central London.
Police said the march, which stopped traffic on some of the capital's main thoroughfares and around parliament, involved up to 15,000 people carrying banners and blowing whistles.
There was no sign of the violence seen in recent days in Greece over its austerity plans, or at previous mass protests in London in December and March against government spending cuts, although there were small scuffles with police and 18 arrests for minor offences.
"We are here to protect our own pensions. We are also fighting for pensions and against overall government cuts generally. I'm worried about my own retirement because when I add up what I'm going to get, it's just not liveable," said Simon Korner, a 54-year-old lecturer.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union called the walkout the "biggest coordinated public sector strike for a generation" and said 84 percent of its 285,000 members had gone out on strike.
However, ministers said that of some half a million people working directly for government ministries, only about 100,000 had not turned up for work. Contingency measures meant essential public services were still running.
Exact numbers of strikers were not expected until later in the day. Unions which had declared the strike represent some 750,000 people.
"What today has shown is that the vast majority of hard working public sector employees do not support today's premature strike and have come in to work today," said Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, a member of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party.
SCHOOLS CLOSE
Around half of schools in England and Wales were closed or disrupted by the stoppage, the government said. Air travelers faced some delays as immigration officials joined the walkout. Courts and government buildings were also affected.
London's Metropolitan Police said 95 percent of staff dealing with calls from the public did not turn up for work, meaning it was taking slightly longer to answer emergency calls.
Dozens of marches and rallies were arranged across the country, and were generally peaceful.
"It's about standing up to the bully," said sports teacher Martin Patching at a rally in Welwyn Garden City, north of London. "I hate striking but it gets to the point where you've got to stand up with your colleagues and say enough's enough."
Cameron has condemned the strikes as irresponsible, saying that talks between unions and ministers have not concluded.
However, other unions are gearing up for mass stoppages later this year if talks break down.
One teaching union, the ATL had never held a strike before in its 127-year history but joined on Thursday:
"It's not something we do lightly," a spokeswoman said.
"But the bottom line is we're worried about what the government is going to do to the long term future of teaching."
CHANGE NEEDED
Cameron argues that longer life expectancy means public sector pensions must change, as many in the private sector have done, to ensure that they are affordable. The changes are part of government plans by 2015 to virtually wipe out a budget deficit that peaked at more than 10 percent of national income.
Consequently, workers face higher contributions to their pensions and retiring later in life. The proposals have hit a raw nerve at a time of wage freezes and job insecurity.
Union leaders assert that their members are bearing the brunt of a financial crisis caused by rich bankers.
Analysts said the protests would challenge the government anew after it retreated on plans to restructure state-funded health care following lobbying from the medical profession.
Markets, which have reacted positively to government deficit-cutting plans, could take fright at any sign of a government climb-down over an issue like pensions.
Some Britons sympathize with the strikers but others say they are being unrealistic at a time when households have suffered their biggest fall in disposable income for more than 30 years.
"They're not paying for my pension. I work for myself -- I have to provide my own pension," said Martyn Hall, a 50-year-old IT consultant from London.
"I think they should realize a lot of people have become unemployed and had their wages cut. I think it's a case of get real, this is the way it is."
(Additional reporting by Avril Ormsby, Adrian Croft and Michael Holden; Writing by Keith Weir and Jodie Ginsberg; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alastair Macdonald)
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