Birmingham, Nov. 30 (Reuters): Hundreds of thousands of teachers, nurses and border guards protesting over pension reform staged Britain’s first mass strike for more than 30 years today in a confrontation with the government over its austerity measures.

Prime Minister David Cameron played down the impact of the strike, calling it“something of a damp squib”, saying 40 per cent of schools were open and the main London airports were working smoothly.

Unions hit back, saying up to two million public sector workers walked out over reforms that unions say will force them to work longer before they can retire and pay more for pensions that will be worth less.

Protests, held in towns and cities across Britain, mirror strikes in other European countries where governments are trying to juggle budget deficits with the needs of an ageing population.

“Why are the government picking on us in the public sector?” asked Kevin Smith, 54, picketing in pale winter sunshine outside parliament in London, where he works as a security officer.

“We had no rise the last two years, before that we were getting lower than inflation rises. So how long is it going to last?”