In pictures: Pension strike

More than one million council workers have gone on strike over pensions. This photo, sent in by Phil Gunn, is of the East Midlands regional rally in Nottingham.

Unison, the biggest of the unions involved in the walkout, said there had been "solid" support for the one-day action.

Walk-outs took place the length and breadth of the country. Thor Beverley of North Devon youth offending team took this picture outside Barnstaple's Civic Centre.

The strike even reached the Shetland Islands, as this picture, by Brian Smith, records.

Transport is among the services hit, as workers formerly employed by local councils remain members of the pension schemes. All the Mersey Tunnels in Liverpool closed.

The strike is over plans to scrap a rule allowing some people to retire on a full pension at 60, which the government says is discriminatory.

Employers say that with increasing life expectancy, they could face a rise in pension contributions of £1bn to £6bn in the next 20 years.

Unions say local government members want the same rights as other public sectors. They have warned of further action in the run-up to the local council elections in May.

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