Teachers, water workers and train drivers strike action

Teachers at a Nottinghamshire secondary school today began a two-day strike over plans to turn it into an academy.

The stoppage at the Kimberley School will mean hundreds of pupils missing lessons, although the headteacher insists it won't affect those taking exams.

It's the second walk-out over the issue by members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

This morning striking staff were picketing the school gates.

The school says conversion to academy status will bring in an extra £700,000.

The NUT says it's concerned about the implications for its members' working terms and conditions.

But the union says the action is also part of a wider protest against the academy programme which it claims is breaking up the state system of education.

The strikes today and tomorrow follow a one-day stoppage on the May 29th.

And drivers at East Midlands Trains are to stage two fresh strikes in a long-running row over pensions, threatening further disruption to services.

Members of the Aslef union at East Midlands Trains will walk out on June 23 and 25 in the latest phase of a campaign of industrial action.

The company attacked the action, saying that Aslef had accepted similar pension scheme changes at two other train companies without becoming involved in a dispute.

Thousands of workers at a leading water company are to be balloted for strikes in a row over pay.

Around 5,000 members of the GMB union at Severn Trent will vote on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action after rejecting a 2% pay offer.

Workers to be balloted include operatives, administration staff, supervisors and junior managers.