Ministers denounced for ‘hypocrisy’ as strike grows

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union announced its members on the Tyne and Wear Metro had voted by 4-1 in favour of strike action, pushing the total number of public sector workers preparing to strike to more than 2 million.

But the Government branded the strikes “irresponsible” and said it would try and minimise their impact, especially in schools.

It came after Unite published a “dossier of hypocrisy” which laid bare the pensions of cabinet Ministers if they were to retire at the end of the present parliamentary cycle in 2015.

A typical public sector worker would have to work three working lifetimes to accrue the same pension as Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, the union claimed.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “Ministers, who can retire on tens of thousands a year, are slashing the pensions of workers who stand to get a few thousand a year and then have the nerve to call them gold-plated.”

The Cabinet Office said Ministerial pensions were set to be reformed and their pension contributions were already among the highest in the public sector.

In Yorkshire, Unison said ambulance staff would respond to emergencies from the picket lines on November 30 following an agreement with the ambulance service.

Unison regional organiser Ray Gray said: “Under this agreement, accident and emergency staff will respond from the picket line in answer to critical or life-threatening calls and patient transport vehicles can respond to essential journeys.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust confirmed contingency plans were in place.

“We recognise the legal right for our staff to strike and our focus, in partnership with the trade unions, is to balance that right with the need to safeguard patient care and safety,” a spokesman said.