BINMEN, teachers, home carers and lecturers were among more than two million public sector workers who took industrial action last month.

In Huddersfield most schools were closed and all bin collections cancelled.

Kirklees College and Huddersfield Crematorium were among buildings shut during the industrial action on November 30 against Government plans to change public sector pensions.

Ministers want to switch the schemes from final salary to the less-generous career average system.

The Government also plans to increase workers’ average annual contribution from 6.4% to 9.6% while the pension age would rise to 67 in 2027.

Coalition ministers have said the changes are necessary to cope with an ageing population, but unions claim the move is an attack on their members.

Howard Roberts, secretary of Kirklees National Union of Teachers, believes further industrial action is likely.

“We hope there won’t be another strike but there’s no real indication the Government is listening,” he told the Examiner.

“Talks are going on but these are civil servants negotiating, they aren’t the main players.

“The discussions are not at a level which can produce a result. Government ministers are just shouting abuse from the sidelines and making it difficult.

“I believe a solution is perfectly possible but the Government appears to be relishing the dispute.

“We may be forced to give another day for strike action.

“It’s not what we want but what is being proposed is completely unacceptable.

“We are more than willing to negotiate if they are willing to engage constructively.”

University of Huddersfield politics lecturer Dr Pete Woodcock also believes further strikes are likely.

“I can’t see where each side is going. I don’t know where the room to manoeuvre is here which leads me to think there will be another set of industrial disputes in the new year,” he said.

“The only glimmer of hope is that the lower-paid NHS workers would have to pay less for their pensions but that would be paid for by people in the NHS who earn more.”

Dr Woodcock added that many members of the public backed the strikers – despite the disruption.

“I think more people are sympathetic on pensions than on pay. If the dispute was about pay I don’t think people would be as supportive,” he said.

“There seems to be a sense of injustice because people have signed up to certain rules and the goalposts have moved.

“There’s a big pensions time-bomb that’s going to hit us. Something has to give.”