Q&A: Public sector strikes

28 June 2011 Last updated at 11:25 GMT Tens of thousands of public sector workers, many of them teachers, are expected to strike on Thursday, in England and Wales. But what are they striking over, who will be affected and what rights do parents have if their child's school is to close for the day?

Why have the strikes been called?

Because of proposed changes to pensions for public sector workers, and spending cuts. It's mainly about pensions - as people live longer, the cost of funding public sector pensions is "unsustainable", says the government. It wants most public sector workers to:

pay more into their pensionswork for longerand accept a pension based on a "career average" salary, rather than the current final salary arrangement

Unions, however, say the proposals will leave their members paying more and working longer for less. Both sides have been in negotiations.

So why strike now?

The teaching unions wanted to ballot their members before the summer break. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, was also able to move quickly. It takes much longer - up to 17 weeks - for the larger unions, such as Unison or Unite, to organise a ballot of their millions of members. They are, however, planning coordinated strikes at the beginning of October, if they get the backing of their membership.

Who is taking part in Thursday's strikes?

Four unions in total. Three teaching unions - the National Union of Teachers (NUT), the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and the University and College Union (UCU) - have voted to strike. They have 200,000, 160,000 and 120,000 members respectively. They will be joined by up to 300,000 members of the PCS, who include air traffic controllers, coastguards, prison workers and customs and immigration staff. The PCS union also represents staff at the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentres.

What impact will I see?

Schools: The NUT says up to 85% of schools in England and Wales will be partially or completely closed, affecting millions of pupils. State schools will be worst hit, but union members at private schools are also expected to walk out. A knock-on impact will be felt in some workplaces, as parents stay at home or work from home to look after children whose schools are closedUniversities: The UCU says it expects "significant disruption" at about 350 colleges and 75 "new" universities - those founded after 1992. Lectures may be cancelled - although many universities' summer terms have already endedCriminal justice: The PCS says courts and probation services could be disrupted, and policing could be affected. Prison officers are also expected to protest.Other public services: The union also says it expects customs and passports services to be affected, and driving tests to be cancelled. Services at Jobcentres and tax and benefit offices are also likely to be disrupted, but the government insists it has "rigorous contingency plans in place to ensure essential services are maintained"Could Thursday's strikes yet be called off?

Yes. But it is very unlikely. Both the unions and the government appear to be in no mood to back down.

Who supports the strikes?

Not the government. Ministers insist talks over the pension changes are still ongoing and therefore it is unjustifiable to take action now. For Labour, shadow chancellor Ed Balls has suggested ministers are deliberately "picking a fight" with unions so they can subsequently blame them for the poor economic recovery. But Labour leader Ed Miliband has said the strikes are a "mistake" and urged both sides in the dispute to keep talking to try to reach an agreement.

Is the action limited to 30 June?

At present yes, but more strikes are already being threatened for the autumn. The UK's biggest public sector union, Unison - which represents 1.3 million people working for local authorities, the NHS, colleges and the police - has not yet balloted its members on industrial action. But its leader, Dave Prentis, has said that would change if they continued "to be treated with disdain".

What if my child can't go to school and I have to work?

Parents' rights depend on their employment contracts. If you are an employee, you have the right to take time off to care for a dependant in an emergency - but given that most schools have given several days' notice of closures, this is unlikely to apply in many situations. Other options are to

make use of flexible working arrangements, such as working from home or altering working hourstake a day's paid leave, orask for a day's unpaid leaveWill parents be able to volunteer to help at schools?

Education Secretary Michael Gove has suggested this, but unions have raised concerns. Parents who have passed a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check for the school in question - for example if they already volunteer there regularly - would be able to help. But CRB checks usually take several weeks. However, government guidance says CRB checks are not necessary for volunteers for one-off events, such as outings or sports days, as long as the volunteers are not, at any point, in contact with children without supervision by a member of school staff. So in theory schools could use parents, even without CRB checks, to help with activities under the supervision of a single teacher - which might, for example allow them to group several classes together in a school hall. But the National Association of Head Teachers has warned its members against using volunteers in place of trained staff, even if they have the necessary CRB documentation, because of a host of issues ranging from first-aid training, to insurance, to behaviour management.

How can prison officers take part if they are not allowed to strike?

Prison officers are banned from striking because it could compromise the safety of prisons. But the Prison Officers Association is telling members to join "protest meetings" during their lunch hour outside jails in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These meetings will be a largely symbolic act - but the union could cause some further disruption and difficulties if members insist on not entering jails until their shifts start.

Is this a general strike?

No. This week's action has been compared by at least one union leader to the general strike of 1926, but really it doesn't come close. The majority of unions will not be taking part, and while large numbers of teachers and lecturers will be involved, the PCS is only the fifth largest union in the UK. In 1926, up to 1.75 million people went on strike, crippling transport networks, shutting down printing presses and interrupting food supplies.

What's happening with public sector pensions?

The government wants public sector workers - bar the armed forces, police and fire service - to receive their occupational pension at the same time as the state pension in future. Many can currently receive a full pension at 60. The state pension age is due to rise to 66 for both men and women by April 2020. Under government plans, workers - on average - would have to pay 3.2 percentage points more in annual pension contributions phased in between 2012 and 2014. But low-paid public sector workers on less than ?15,000 would not face any increase in contributions and those earning less than ?18,000 would have their contributions capped at 1.5%. There have been some claims and counterclaims over what this means for public sector workers.

Why are these changes needed?

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has suggested that the gap between contributions and pensions in payment would double over the next four years to ?9bn. One key reason for this is that people are living for longer. The government commissioned Lord Hutton, the former Labour Work and Pensions Secretary, to investigate the situation. Many of its proposals are drawn from recommendations in this report.

What do the unions want to happen?

Trade unions have voiced strong opposition to their members paying more in the form of contributions to their pension. It is not clear how opposed they are to changing schemes to a career average version, or to the plans to raising the retirement age to 65 or 66. They were also unhappy that the government announced its plans for pensions while negotiations with the unions were ongoing.

How can it be settled?

It's going to take some pretty major concessions from one side or the other - something which, at present, doesn't look likely. A leaked memo from the TUC, which represents the majority of unions, seen by the BBC, shows they don't believe the current talks can come to any agreement on changes to the pension age, to contributions or accrual rates. Instead, they say, the way forward must be for each group of workers - nurses, teachers, local government and so on - to work out their own arrangements on a scheme by scheme basis. For its part, the government has said there is "room for dialogue" and talks are being held in good faith, but ministers have not made public any specific areas which might be open to compromise.

Don't public sector workers get paid less because their pensions are better?

This is a myth, according Lord Hutton. His interim report says that "there is no evidence that pay is lower for public sector workers to reflect higher levels of pension provision". Although 85% of public service employees contribute to a pension, he said that these pensions were far from "gold-plated", with the average pension in payment currently at a "modest" ?7,800 a year. About half of public service pensioners received less than ?5,600 a year. Some private sector schemes are worse than this, but he said that should not affect public sector pensions. In the private sector only 35% of workers sign up for a pension.

How are other countries tackling the pensions shortfall?

There are many different systems in place across the world. In France, for example, public sector workers typically retire before 60, but there are plans to bring them in line with the private sector. In Chile, there are mandatory defined-contributions in public and private sectors. Employees pay 10% of their earnings, with top-up benefits for the poorest 60% of pensioners.

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