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Public Workers Take To The Streets In England05:00
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Bristling under Britain's austerity program and new pension restrictions, thousands of public sector workers went on strike there Wednesday in what's being called the largest for a generation.
Labor unions said as many as 2 million public sector staff were joining the strike-- including U.K. border staff, teachers, hospital workers, weather forecasters, botanists, nuclear physicists and catering staff at the Houses of Parliament.
The one-day walkout has been called to oppose government demands that public sector staff work longer before receiving a pension and contribute more money each month - plans that are part of government austerity measures to get a grip on Britain's high borrowing levels.
Here's how the strike is impacting daily life in the U.K.:
- London's Heathrow Airport was warning international travelers of delays, but airport managers said flights arriving from Asia, the U.S. and Europe were largely unaffected
- More than half of England's 21,700 state schools were closed, and around three-quarters of schools in the U.K. could eventually be forced to shut early, the Cabinet Office said
- Health officials said 60,000 non-urgent operations and appointments had been postponed in advance in England
Guest:
- Rob Watson, BBC reporter in London
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
This program aired on November 30, 2011.
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