The government was locked in a bitter war or words with the unions today after a mass strike crippled public services and saw 20,000 people march through the streets of Manchester.
About 120,000 public-sector workers across the region took part in the biggest walk-out in a generation. Ninety per cent of schools were closed, ambulances were taken off the road and hundreds of operations cancelled.
Manchester Airport shut a terminal to international arrivals, bins went uncollected and courts, libraries and leisure centres across the region were closed.
Comment: There must be compromise over divisive pension dispute
Replay our live coverage from across the region of the day of action
Unions hailed the walkout – the biggest since the 1979 Winter of Discontent – a success and warned of further industrial action as they battle against ministers' plans to increase pension contributions and make them work longer.
But David Cameron raised the stakes by branding the walk-out 'a damp squib' that was both 'irresponsible and damaging'. Hundreds of dawn picket lines went up across Greater Manchester before protesters converged on the city centre for a mass march and rally. Tens of thousands took part, marching to a rally in Whitworth Park.
Thousands more took part in similar demonstrations in Bury, Bolton, Wigan and Oldham.
All passed without trouble and not a single arrest was made.
Nationally, more two million people from 30 trade unions took part in the action with 1,000 rallies taking place.
Several services were severely affected. Hospitals had to cancel routine operations, blood tests and physiotherapy appointments.
The North West Ambulance Service confirmed only 50 per cent of frontline staff went to work.
Thousands of parents had to take the day off work as nearly 1,000 schools across the region were completely shut. Nationally, just 16 per cent of state schools remained fully open, said the Department for Education.
Predictions of long delays at Manchester Airport failed to materialise despite a walkout by immigration staff.
In Manchester, just one trial took place between two crown courts. The strikes sparked an angry exchange during Prime Minister’s Questions, with Mr Cameron accusing Ed Miliband over being ‘irresponsible, left-wing and weak’ for backing industrial action.
The Labour leader said Mr Cameron was privately ‘delighted’ that negotiations with the unions had stalled.
The prime minister claimed less than one third of the civil service had joined the strikes and the vast majority of Jobcentres had remained open.
He added: "It looks like something of a damp squib."
Alan Manning, the regional secretary for the TUC in the north west, rejected that claim – saying many unions had reported 90 per cent participation. Strikers in Tameside were among the first out on the picket lines from 6am.
In Bolton, unions reported 95 per cent of council staff walked out. In Bury, protesters held a ‘sound protest’ outside the town hall. making as much noise as they could. Security had to be brought in as tempers flared at pickets at Rochdale's municipal office and Green Lane, Heywood. And in Oldham, Labour MP Michael Meacher addressed strikers.
In Trafford, pickets were in place outside Trafford General, Stretford's old town hall and Greater Manchester Police's headquarters - where chiefs had to cancel rest-days and draft in uniformed officers to handle calls. Only one school in the borough remained open.
There was a rally in Market Place, Wigan, while in Stockport just three lorries are said to have made it out of Bredbury’s bin depot as refuse workers joined the walk-out. In Salford, protesters kept gathered in historic Bexley Square.
GMP's assistant chief constable, Ian Hopkins, said: "The fact we have not made a single arrest is testament to the way in which the protesters have conducted themselves."
Comment: There must be compromise over divisive pension dispute
Replay our live coverage from across the region of the day of action
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Hope they win their strike so they can afford that 3rd holiday abroad a year.
Poor guys... You know, I hear some of them haven't even got the IPad2 yet. How they even had the energy to make it down to the strike is beyind me. But it seems they were able to make it down, very well dressed and even take time out to browse the luxury Christmas markets and eateries in Manchester.
They truly are heros.
I tried to call the Inland Revenue yesterday, and was surprised to find they were on strike and not answering calls.
How can they get their pensions paid when they aren't collecting taxes?
PMQ is always like feeding time at the zoo I feel. Neither side should feel especially proud of how they come across on any given Wednesday.
Based on the best evidence being that which you can see with your own eyes, my bins got emptied & all those people forced to drag their kids to the Trafford Centre didn't look especially unhappy about it.
Other people may know different but to me it didn't look like the disruption was major.
We are all in this financial mess together, and we all must make sacrifices to save our country . We as a nation have had a boom period , now we must pay. There is no future in strike action, Mr cameron is a strong leader and will not back down. I am afraid we all have to take "The Hit". To be employed is a blessing, wanting a large unafordable pension at the end of employment is greed.
No more strike action please - Our Country Needs You.
As far as I am aware, not a single independent school in the Manchester area closed: MGS, Bolton, School, Bury GS, Withington High, Cheadle Hulme all open as far as I know. This means that the children of state school teachers were all right since many of them attend independent schools.
Ca'moron what kind of comment is that ....."damp squib" ? do you want the UK shut down for longer ?
That like saying "come on is that all you have got"
Do you really want to completely damage this country, have more rioting in our cities and and leave Downing street as hated as Tony B'liar.
What a stupid comment to make FOOL.
Presume the Unions will pick up the tab for policeing - or will this be added to the £113 million subsidy from the Taxpayer for Union Pilgrims which subsidise the Labour Party.
The strikes appeared solid here in north Manchester. I saw several large picket lines yesterday including one outside the local hospital.
But remember, it's not just a pensions change, civil servants are currently in a two year pay freeze (a big cut in real terms), and when they next get a rise it will only be 1% even if inflation continues to rise which could see a real-term cut of 15-20%.
I worked at Customs and Excise many years ago. As a Band 2 (2nd lowest grade), my take home pay was just above the minimum wage and as a single person with no kids, there were no tax breaks or council tax or rent rebates so I was actually worse off than being on the dole after taking all expenses into account and this after getting up at 4am so as to be ready for a 7.30 start at the airport and later at Salford Quays. The pension was the only thing to look forward to - to be looked after in old age. I don't yet know whether my pension age will be 66 or 67 because the change to 67 happens when I am 66. However, poor health means I may not live to see whatever the retirement age is. The retirement age has been raised to protect the mainly middle classes because the working class and other blue-collar workers are likely to pay into a scheme and not receive much if anything back, whilst the middle class and many white collar workers may live to be 100 and therefore have their pensions subsidised by the poor. (check government statistics for mortality rates).
Workers either need a decent rate of pay so they can afford their own pension schemes or be low paid and have a state pension fund that they still contribute to but a comfortable old age (if they make it that far).
As for holidays, I've had two in twenty years, one camping so dirt cheap, and another at a friends villa in Spain for a week where my flight was paid for so also dirt cheap.
What we really need are some blue collar MPs - how can they claim to represent us when very few have got their hands dirty in a proper job.
lets see if the unions are serious about this issue, have they got the bottle to call a proper all out for as long as it takes strike or are they continue with these pretend one day events
Well done to the strikers causing me and thousands of others misery trying to get back home last night.!
Unbelievably they are all moaning and winging about their pensions yet 90% of them were in the Trafford Centre with their kids shopping and spending money!!! You couldn't make it up.
Just an excuse for a day off in my book, stop moaning, get back to work and be lucky you have a job!
Well done to Cameron & Osborne for sticking to their principles.
Whilst the damp squib comment seems antagonistic, it was accurate.
The fact that unions seem to measure 'success' in terms of the harm they can inflict on society says a great deal. The fact that their 'damp squib' didn't actually achieve what they wanted shows that they've lost the argument even amongst their own members, never mind with the taxpaying public. Time we made union bosses financially / criminally liable for their blackmailing actions.
A mate of mine took part in the strikes yesterday and said they would be having 'stern' words with a woman who had dared cross the picket line after everything the union had done for her. I just laughed at him!
I just wish i had a job.
They were all in the Trafford Centre spending. Just a day off for most of them.
I work in the private sector, I havent had a holiday since 2001, I havent had a pay rise since 2008.
I was made redundant in 2002 and my company pension went with it, so thats gone.
If you were to ask me have I got any sympathy with the public sector over their pension, working conditions, like teachers are on about £25k per year with about 4 months paid holiday, then I have absolutely NO sympathy with them at all, they have had it too soft for too long and now its about time to pay up.
Very nice from a supposedly educated man.
Call me Dave only needs to look at his cabinet for Damp Squids.
Just to show how solid it was. I live in Watford and the picket line outside the job centre was four people and the local tax office no more than three at any one time. Either these offices are badly staffed or the rest went shopping.
I think the 'Right Wing' media in this country has done a fantastic job in brainwashing the majority of readers of this website!
How can it be a 'damp squib' if it was 'damaging'?
Everybody taking a day off isn't going to make planes drop out of the sky. Sounds like he wants to see 3 day strikes to me.
P.S. There were no airport queues because they didn't bother checking passports, duh.
Bit surprise Ed Millipede wasn't in the crowd with his troops in tow. Was there a greater chance to depose the tyranny of the Coalition with such mass support from Ed Millipede bandwagon. No just great unwashed having it boils lance thats all.
I have an idea. How about in the drive for "fair pensions for all" we have an across the board £5k per year tax increase (yes for you strikers troo) so that we in the private sector can all enjoy the same tax payer subsidised pension and retirement perks as you? How does that grab you? No?!?!? I thought not how about you just shut up and pay your fair share then and stop expecting the majority to pick up the tab for you?
(I suspect the only way you would accept this agreement would be if the private sector workers tax bill went up by £7k a year so we can pay your pensions and our own.)
Cameron's rhetoric is unhelpful at time when he needs to attempt to be a statesman but this sneering, condescending, pompous buffoon will never be a statesman. Now where is my Christmas card list.
Some wonderful sweepting statements on here today. Perked up my lunch hour.
Leisure centres closed? I'm gutted!