Brendan Barber: Strikers are not mindless militants

The government has "lost the confidence of the public sector workforce", according to TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

Speaking to the BBC, he rejected criticism over Wednesday's planned mass strike, saying that those taking part were not "mindless militants".

Earlier ministers warned that the walkout, linked to a dispute over pensions, could cost the UK £500m and lead to job losses.

But Mr Barber said that responsibility for the poor state of the economy "laid fair and square on the government's shoulders".