Schools, hospitals, airports, ports and government offices will be among sites disrupted, as more than 1,000 demonstrations are due across the UK.

It would “achieve nothing”, Downing Street said, calling for more talks.

Unions object to government plans to make their members pay more and work longer to earn their pensions.

In a statement on the eve of the strike, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Mr Maude branded the action “indefensible and wrong”.

The UK Border Agency is set to be hit by the walkout of Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members, and the agency has warned that “people travelling into the UK may experience delays at border control”.

Heathrow operator BAA has said that, with contingency plans in place, it hopes that delays at immigration “could be contained to within two to three hours”.

Public sector strike set to be largest for a generation

HERE 29 November 2011

“While discussions are continuing, I would urge public sector workers to look at the offer for themselves rather than listening to the rhetoric of their union leaders,” he said.

“These are the sort of pensions that few in the private sector can enjoy.”

Shadow chief secretary of the treasury, Rachel Reeves, told BBC’s Newsnight that Labour did not support the industrial action.

“We do not support the strike because a strike is a sign of failure,” she said.

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