PM Tells Workers: 'These Strikes Are Wrong'

David Cameron has urged hundreds of thousands of public sector workers to call off a 24-hour strike planned for Thursday in a row over pay and pensions.

Up to 750,000 people, including teachers, lecturers and civil servants, are set to walkout in a bitter dispute between unions and ministers.

Thousands of schools and colleges in England and Wales are expected to close.

And there will also be disruption to services, including jobcentres, tax offices and courts, across the UK.

Driving tests will be cancelled and customs checks at ports affected, while picket lines will be mounted outside Government departments.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Local Government Group in Birmingham, Mr Cameron said: "These strikes are wrong. It is the changes we propose that are right."

The Prime Minister defended plans for public sector workers to increase their pension contributions - one of the main reasons behind the industrial action.

He also backed the move to increase the pension age as well as contributions, maintaining that the proposals were fair for taxpayers as well as employees.

And he said there were some "real misconceptions" and "scare stories" about the reforms.

He said the pension changes being proposed for millions of public sector workers were a "good deal", which would secure affordable pensions for decades to come.

Mr Cameron said if the changes were not made then the country will have a worse pension system as obligations become unaffordable.

He told a question and answer session after his speech that no-one should doubt the "absolute resolve" of the Government to deal with the pensions issue fairly.

"The Government is absolutely committed to seeing this though," said the PM.

He added that he understood the concerns being expressed at the reforms.

But he stressed the coalition had inherited "completely unsustainable" debt, with a budget deficit worse than that faced by Greece.

Meanwhile, Michael Gove has told MPs, that the planned walkout by teachers on Thursday is "unnecessary, premature and disruptive".

The Education Secretary said the action would cause "massive inconvenience to hard-working families".

Mr Gove, who was summoned to the Commons to answer an urgent question, said: "This strike, at this time, will not help our schools."

Shadow education secretary Andy Burnham, who asked the question, said the strike was a "mistake".

But he said the Government "can't evade its share of the responsibility for the disruption".