Jacqui Stewart, UNISON’s Gloucester Police branch union chair, said: “I’m very proud to be a public sector worker. Integrity, and what’s right and fair, underpin everything we do.
“How is it fair that they are attacking our pensions again after they futureproofed them years ago?
“My pension has always been a factor in my deciding to work in the public sector, and if that changes I may be forced to reconsider – but I may have that decision taken away from me.
“The jobs we do aren’t easy but we do them well, and we care. So why shouldn’t we deserve a decent pension? After all, we’ve paid for it.”
Tanya Palmer, speaking on behalf of UNISON health workers, said: “The real divide is between those at the top, and those who are at the middle and at the bottom. This is not an argument between workers, private and public.
“This is about standing up for fairness, and today is about women – women who care, women who clean, women who teach. Unison members are overwhelmingly women – they voted for action today.
“Today is their day – today is our day.”