Public Sector Workers Rally in London

2011-12-01 81

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Public sector workers hold a strike and march through London, before staging a rally near Britain's parliament. They are protesting against reform and government austerity measures.

Britain's first mass strike in more than 30 years.

Thousands of public sector workers marched through central London on Wednesday.

They proceeded to hold a rally near the country's parliament.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) said about 20 thousand joined the march.

[Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress]:
"It is the poorest and the weakest who too often are being asked to pay the price for this crisis rather than those people who really caused the crisis which is the financial elite and until that changes there will be growing public anger at the injustice of the government's approach."

As many as two million public sector employees are expected to be affected by pension reform and government austerity measures.

The government introduced new restrictions on public sector pay and hundreds of thousands of additional job cuts on Tuesday.

[Iram Rehman, Primary School Teacher]:
"I can't afford to lose a day's pay, I have the same priorities as everyone else, I've got bills to pay, I've got a mortgage to pay. I don't want to be out here on strike telling the government I'm not happy but I'm left with no alternative."

They said the tough austerity program would last until 2017.

Unions say the reform will force them to work longer before they can retire.

They'll also have to pay more for pensions that will be worth less.

Unions are threatening further strikes next year if the dispute is not resolved.

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