The further education staff say they are striking because of the government's support for the principles laid out in the Hutton report on public sector pensions - raising contributions, moving to a career average scheme, and linking pension rises to the lower measure of inflation, CPI.

BBC: UK lecturers' strike over pensions disrupts students

Separate reforms to force millions of public sector workers to pay an additional 3.2% of salaries towards their pensions and to switch the uprating of pensions from RPI inflation to the normally lower CPI measure of inflation are expected to significantly reduce the long-term cost of public-sector pensions.

BBC: Civil service pensions 'still gold plated'

Ministers plan to link public sector pension rises to an alternative, and historically lower, inflation measure.

BBC: Military pensions 'not protected', Downing St says