A mass walkout by public-sector workers will definitely go ahead on Wednesday and could be the biggest since the 1926 general strike, a senior union leader has said.
Unison leader Dave Prentis said there was "absolutely no chance" of reaching a deal in the next few days over the Government's controversial pension reforms. The union has doubled its recruitment in recent weeks as a result of the dispute, he revealed.
"It could be the biggest action since the 1926 General Strike," Mr Prentis predicted.
Mr Prentis warned of further industrial action in the new year if the dispute is not resolved: "It could involve rolling programmes, region by region, service by service, workers within particular services - nothing is ruled out at this stage."
Mr Prentis said he did not trust the Government's figures on pensions, adding that opinion polls showed the public believed unions more than ministers, and had sympathy with public sector workers.
More than 1,000 demonstrations will be held across the UK on Wednesday, with up to two million workers expected to strike.
Passengers at airports and ports have been warned to expect huge queues because of action by immigration and passport officers. The Border Agency has been seeking volunteers from other parts of the civil service to cover for the strikers. Northern Ireland's public transport system will be shut down, and the Tyne and Wear Metro will be hit, but transport in other parts of the country will not be affected.
Meanwhile, thousands of NHS operations and appointments are being cancelled and rescheduled because of action by NHS staff ranging from nurses to radiographers.
Services including refuse collection and street cleaning will also be hit, libraries, leisure centres and swimming pools will close, and in some areas parking tickets will not be issued because traffic wardens will be on strike.
Jobcentres will close, Government departments will operate on skeleton staff - and MPs might have problems buying food in the Commons because catering workers are among those taking action.
Thousands of courts staff will also join the day of action, causing the cancellation of cases and closure of many court buildings.