Walk-out set to grow as strike vote results revealed

The dispute worsened at the weekend after unions attacked a Government Minister for making a “daft” suggestion that public sector workers would not lose any pay if they only went on strike for 15 minutes during a day of action later this month.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude said that the Government was willing to accommodate some kind of “token action” when public sector workers strike over pensions on November 30.

Public sector workers would be allowed to down tools for a 15-minute protest without losing pay if trade unions called off full-scale strikes, he said in an interview with the Financial Times.

Brian Strutton, national officer of the GMB union, who has attended a series of meetings with Ministers this year over the planned pension reforms, said: “Maude’s proposal for a 15-minute strike is a daft idea. We are asking members to vote for a strike, not a tea break.

“What he says is unlawful anyway, which is surprising coming from a Minister.”

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “If Francis Maude had genuinely wanted this idea to be taken seriously I would have expected him to have raised it directly with the TUC and unions rather than play it as a PR gambit in a Press interview.

“The way to resolve this dispute and avoid industrial action is to make real progress and acceptable offers in the negotiations.”

Mr Maude renewed warnings that the Government could move to tighten industrial relations laws.

The day of action on November 30 could see over two million workers going on strike.