As it happened: Public sector strike action

Key Points

• Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers in the UK have been taking part in strike action on Thursday
• The action came as part of a series of disputes over pay, pensions and cuts
• Teachers, firefighters, civil servants and local government workers have been involved, with hundreds of schools closed
• Civil service minister Francis Maude said it was not right for members of the public to be inconvenienced, and claimed the unions' mandates for holding strike action were "weak"