The 30th of November saw public sector strikes in the UK over the proposed pension reform in the UK. An estimated 2 million public sector workers including teachers, nurses and civil servants voiced their concerns over the government proposals and demonstrated throughout the day.
The bitter dispute surrounds the Coalition’s proposal to increase the level of contributions for public sector workers together with an increase in the retirement age. This sparked anger amongst public sector workers who also face the prospect of a wage freeze next year despite rising inflation.
The UK government explain that the proposal is justified in order to manage the funding gap in the Budget deficit but once again it seems like the hard working public sector staff will bear the brunt of previous mistakes by those in power. The trade unions have expressed concern that the additional contributions proposed will exceed the value of pensions paid out on retirement and that this is in fact another stealth tax where the sums do not add up.
In a Bizarre statement to the press, Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson sparked further outrage by claiming that public sector workers involved in the strike should be shot. He was forced to apologise after his astounding comment and explained that this was intended as a joke. The sad news is that at this rate teachers are unlikely to be able to afford to buy a car and so the risk of a boycott of Top Gear is minimal!