UNISON assistant general secretary Roger McKenzie urged members to “stand strong, stand tall and stand firm” so that “together we will win this battle for public services.”
Mr McKenzie was speaking at a packed rally in Swindon, made up of hundreds of striking union members, their families and supporters.
And, after congratulating members on the wonderful turnout, Mr McKenzie went on: “I want to bring you this message, which I’ve been hearing from all over the country – our strike is massive and our strike is strong everywhere.
“Ordinary working people are standing up and saying enough is enough.
“We didn’t fight all these years for public services so you could take them away with the swish of a pen.”
And Mr McKenzie had a clear message for chancellor George Osborne, proclaiming: “Listen to the people. We demand the right to decent pensions, we demand the right to decent services and we demand the right to decent terms and conditions in the workplace.
“We demand jobs for our young people and we demand that they aren’t condemned to a life on the dole queue.
“We stand up alongside those people occupying squares across the country, those people fighting for democracy around the world and those in Wisconsin who have been fighting for the right to have collective bargaining.
“We are the majority and we have the support of the majority.”
The huge crowd roared its appreciation, as representatives of other public sector unions took to the stage at the Swindon Trades Council organised event, which followed a march that had attracted vocal support from the public on its way.