page_title: J30 Protests
section_title: Northern England
hierarchical_section_title: J30 Protests / Northern England
caption_attribution_description: English: Protestors gather in Sheffield to demonstrate against government plans to change public sector pensions.
context_page_description: The J30 Protests were a one-day strike held in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2011. The strike was held by public sector workers in an effort to protest the government's planned uncoventional changes to pension plans and retirement policies, including raising the retirement age from 60 to 66 and the replacing of final salary pension schemes with a career-average system. The Driving Standards Agency had recently announced that it was to launch a localised trial to determine whether delivering examiners from non-established test centres could help with growing pupil demand, starting in Warrington, Wiltshire, Ayrshire, Wales and Dumbarton.
  In the one-day strike, pickets and a series of anti-cuts rallies by the National Union of Teachers, Association of Teachers and Lecturers, University and College Union and the Public and Commercial Services Union went ahead largely as planned. Over 11,000 schools in England were affected by the strike, according to the data released by the Department for Education. Nearly 400 schools were closed in greater Birmingham and the Black Country, with another 70 partially shut.
context_section_description: About 6,000 campaigners rallied in Newcastle upon Tyne, making it the second biggest outside London.
  Liverpool's passport office was on strike as 537 of the 550 staff the city's passport office and the civil servants at Ministry of Defence and Criminal Records Bureau offices also walked out. Both Liverpool's World Museum and the Walker Art Gallery also had to close for the day.
  Preston saw addresses from union spokesmen as 400 public sector workers and teachers who gathered at Preston's Flag Market in a show of force against Government pension reforms yesterday. The members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, University and College Union and the Public and Commercial Services Union turned out in force at the rally, which started at noon.
  A joint National Union of Teachers, PCS and Green Party organised strike, picketing and rally took place in Salford, Greater Manchester. Both primary and secondary schools closed and there are picket lines at the Salford Tax Office, HMRC (Trinity Bridge House, 2 Dearmans Place, M3 5BG) and Salford County Court. The 11 am protest march from All Saints on Oxford Road was to the Castlefield Arena where there was a 12:30 many union speakers in attendance.
  About 1,500 people gathered for a rally, picketing, speeches, a march and a political sing-song in the centre of Sheffield. A series of trades union speakers addressed the rallying crowd of teachers, civil servants and students outside Sheffield City Hall. There were protests at a few schools in the Sheffield area by students against the teacher's strikes, with several almost descending into violence. There were also small protests at Gleadless Townend (which caused disruption to bus services and car traffic as they blocked roads, but let trams through), at nearby Manor Top, and near Spring Lane tram stop.
  Cumbria's annual Schoolympics sports day was cancelled as staff downed tools. Approximately 200 public-sector workers rallied in Carlisle and PCS members picketed the Rural Payments Agency, in Carlisle, and the British Cattle Movement Service, in Workington. A schools strike hit Brampton, so parents hired the community centre between 1230 and 1530 to take their children along for a £2 entry fee.
  More over 100 primary schools in Kingston upon Hull had voluntary closed their doors.
  Several schools were disrupted by strikes in Middlesbrough, Guisborough, Hartlepool and Redcar
caption: Protestors gather in Sheffield to demonstrate against government plans to change public sector pensions.
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