Teachers, lecturers, civil servants and train drivers will go on strike today in the largest wave of industrial action in more than a decade.
Up to half a million workers will down tools across England and Wales as ministers continue to resist their demands for a decent pay rise.
Today's walkouts by five unions will be biggest day of strike action since 2011 - and will coincide with mass protests by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) against the Government's anti-strike legislation
Soldiers are being drafted in to cover for striking workers as around 100,000 civil servant members of the PCS union are due to walk out - threatening turmoil at airports and disruption to services including benefits, passports, and driving licences.
Downing Street said around 600 military personnel would be brought in to assist but admitted there would be "significant disruption".
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Tens of thousands of schools will be affected as fed-up teachers join pickets in protest over pay and workloads, which union leaders blame for persistent staffing issues.
NEU General Secretaries Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)Members of the National Education Union (NEU), the UK's largest teaching union, are taking part in the first of seven strike dates, which is expected to affect 23,400 schools in England and Wales.
Six more days of walkouts have already been announced up to March 16, and the NEU has warned they could announce more dates if ministers don't get serious on pay.
Some schools have already decided to close while other heads won't know what staffing gaps they have to fill until the strike begins.
The NEU balloted more than 300,000 members - and another 40,000 people have joined the union since the strikes were announced.
The exact number of teachers out on strike is not known, as schools will only be affected by up to four of the seven strike dates so not all NEU members will walk out at the same time.
Military personnel were previously drafted in to help during the ambulance strikes (PA)There were 563,831 full time teachers in the UK in the 2021/22 academic year, the latest official data shows.
In echoes of Covid lockdowns, schools are being urged to prioritise vulnerable kids and the children of critical workers, and then pupils preparing for exams.
The Government has told heads to keep schools open wherever possible but they can switch to online lessons if they haven't got enough staff.
Teachers are furious about the Government's offer of a 5% pay rise for most teachers - which works out as a 5% cut due to inflation. Talks to avert the strikes ended without agreement on Monday.
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Train drivers from the Aslef and RMT unions are striking today as part of a long running pay dispute in fresh misery for rail passengers.
And lecturers and other university workers in the UCU union will also be on the picket lines.
Downing Street said today's mass strike action will be "very difficult" for Brits.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We know that there will be significant disruption given the scale of the strike action that is taking place tomorrow and that will be very difficult for the public trying to go about their daily lives.
"We are upfront that this will disrupt people's lives and that's why we think negotiations rather than picket lines are the right approach."
Fewer than 1 in 5 Brits (17%) think Rishi Sunak's Government is doing a good job negotiating with trade unions to prevent strikes - and 31% think a Labour government led by Keir Starmer would do a better job.
The poll by Ipsos, published today, found 44% back striking teachers while 35% oppose the walkouts. A majority of the public also support nurses (61%) and ambulance crews (55%) on strike action.
Public opinion is more split on border force staff with 37% in favour and 34% against, while 35% back rail strikes and 39% oppose them.
It comes as new analysis from the TUC said the average public sector was £203 a month worse off compared to 2010 once inflation has been taken into account.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Public sector workers face a double whammy. First ministers hold down their pay and then they attack their fundamental right to strike.
“Let’s be clear. This will do nothing to solve the staffing crisis in our schools and in the NHS.
TUC boss Paul Nowak said ministers must stop 'scheming' to take away workers rights and get serious on pay (PA)“After years of brutal pay cuts, nurses, teachers and millions of other public servants have seen their living standards decimated – and are set to face more pay misery.
“Instead of scheming up new ways to attack the right to strike, ministers should get pay rising across the economy – starting with a decent pay rise for workers across the public sector.”
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson said school closures were the last thing parents and children need after the disruption caused by the pandemic.
She said: "It’s unacceptable that Conservative Ministers have let it come to this. They have crashed the economy and bungled the negotiations over teachers’ pay.
"Today, parents and children will yet again be forced to pay the price for this Conservative chaos."
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the strikes were "hugely disappointing" and said unions didn't need to walk out to get her attention.
She said: These strikes will have a significant impact on children’s education, especially following the disruption of the past two years, and are creating huge uncertainty for parents.
“With talks ongoing on a range of issues, including around future pay, workload, behaviour and recruitment and retention, it is clear that strikes are not being used as a last resort."
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