British National Union of teachers faces national strike

Britain is likely to face the most wide ranging series of strikes since Labour came to power a decade ago on Thursday.

Up to 400 thousand teachers, college lecturers, jobcentre workers, coastguards, driving examiners and other civil servants are to walkout in a series of disputes over pay.

The planned strikes will affect up to eight thousand schools as members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in England and Wales stage their first national strike in 21 years. Civil servants from ten Government departments and agencies will also take strike action across the UK.

More than 50 rallies will be held by the striking workers amid warnings that unrest in the civil service could escalate this summer because of anger over below-inflation pay offers.

The British Chambers of Commerce warned the strike could cost businesses up to 68 (m) million pounds sterling in lost working hours because parents will have to take time off work or pay for extra childcare.

Christine Blower of the National Union of Teachers, said, "we really feel that not having made any inroads by the other means, that reluctantly strike action is really what we have to do now".

A government associate, John Ransford, said, "teachers have not had brilliant settlements but in terms of the average, they are above average, teaching is now a well paid a well resourced profession".

Hundreds of coastguards went out on strike on Wednesday night, signalling the start of a series of walkouts by 100 thousand civil servants across the UK.