State employees strike

These are not public servants, they are employees of the state (that is, you and me).

The Taxpayers' Alliance gives a useful summary of some facts.

1. On average, public sector employees work 36 hours per week compared with 37.5 hours in the private sector.

2. The difference in hourly pay between the public and private sectors is even greater than the difference in annual pay. Average hourly pay in the public sector is £11.59 compared with £9.23 in the private sector.

3. The average number of days taken off sick is around 30 per cent higher in the public sector than in the private sector. In 2005, public sector employees took an average of 8.5 days off sick, compared with 6 days for the private sector.

4. The proportion of public sector employees enjoying generous final-salary pension schemes is 88 per cent, compared with only 16 per cent in the private sector.

5. PCS union members are still entitled to retire at 60 – five years before everyone else. This is true even for PCS members who joined the civil service last year.

Let's hear that on the Today programme, for instance.