BUSINESS leaders criticised the Government for triggering today’s national strike by up to 1.5 million council workers over pension rights.

Schools, nurseries, libraries and day centres will close across the country as dinner ladies, teaching assistants and social workers join the 24-hour walkout that started at midnight. The strike, supported by 11 unions, will also affect rubbish collection, fire and rescue and police support services throughout Britain. Key transport links such as the Thames Barrier and the Newcastle Metro will also be disrupted.

Rallies and demonstrations will be held across Britain. Unions said that the industrial action would also hit the Probation Service, the Meat Hygiene Service, home care, occupational therapy and other social services, and traffic wardens.

Sir Digby Jones, the director-general of the CBI, said that the strike, billed as the biggest national walkout since the General Strike in 1926, was both “selfish and divisive”, adding: “The Government has given unions all the ammunition they need to say that current pension arrangements are divisive, by its craven surrender in letting their nationally employed colleagues continue to retire at 60.

“But the way to address that divide is by bringing all public sector pensions — including local government pensions — into the 21st century.”

Managers have been drawing up contingency plans over the weekend after the unions’ decision not to allow exemptions for workers in critical services. But many services will close. The dispute, which has been escalating for the past year, concerns local government pension rights. While other public sector groups have been told that all current workers can continue to retire at 60 and get a full pension, council staff will be expected from this year to work until they are 65 before getting similar benefits.

Within the next two days John Prescott is expected to lay an order in the House of Commons that will remove a key element of the current local government pension scheme known as the 85-year rule.

This allows employees to retire at 60 if their age plus their service adds up to 85. Once the legislation has been passed, all workers will be expected to work until 65 to get their full pension rights.

Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, said: “By refusing to keep its promise on local government pensions, the Government is destroying the retirement plans of tens of thousands of public sector workers, and it will hit paid women workers the hardest.”

The Local Government Association said that changes to the pension scheme proposed by the unions would add at least 2 per cent a year to every council taxpayer’s bill.

Sir Sandy Bruce Lockhart, LGA chairman, said: “The changes to local government staff pensions are both needed and necessary.”

Residents across Britain have been told to expect severe disruption to services. Sir Digby said that private sector employers and their staff had had to recognise that longer life expectancies and the rising cost of providing pensions meant longer working lives.

Last year Mr Prescott was forced to defer the move, which will save local councils about £300 million a year, because Tony Blair wanted to avoid strike action before the general election.

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