Congratulations to all public service workers who took strike action on November 30 to defend their pensions.

The turnout was fantastic with hundreds of thousands taking action in Scotland alone.

Locally the figure from West Dunbartonshire Council was a 94 per cent strike rate.

That is an incredible figure and shows the fury of workers on the theft of their pensions by this Tory/Liberal Democrat Government of millionaires.

Those who crossed picket lines - the shameful six per cent - should indeed hang their heads in shame.

Will they refuse to accept any gains secured by the struggle of their workmates?

No, as always strikebreakers accept everything that's won at no cost to themselves, freeloading on the backs of others.

With further strike action forthcoming these people need to develop a backbone - join the union and stop undermining the fight from which you will benefit.

Congratulations are also due to our councillors who refused to cross the picket line at the council meeting on the night of the action.

But we need more from our elected members be it councillors, MSPs or MPs.

With the trade unions organising to protect pensions, jobs and services against the Tory-led Government, we need these politicians to be campaigning alongside the trade union movement and their communities.

The Tories and right wing governments across Europe are in economic crisis as they try and make working people pay for their crisis.

We call on our politicians to support the essential role of public services in the Scottish economy, providing work and vital services to enhance the quality of life for all of us.

We need to campaign with all our might against this government of the rich - let's turn their economic crisis into a political crisis and boot them out of office.

Tom Morrison, secretary, Clydebank TUC