Unions contemplate alliance and general strike to push government over pay and conditions THE government is on a fresh collision course with millions of workers after warnings of mass strikes in protest at pay freezes, job losses and other cuts. The opening day of the TUC Congress yesterday was dominated by talk of industrial action against the coalition's austerity measures and the revelation of an alliance between two leading unions to campaign against spending cuts. Unison and the GMB said the public-sector pensions dispute had brought them closer together, so they would now campaign together on pay claims and opposition to the government. The TUC conference in Brighton, Sussex, is set to back a move to consider campaigns, including the "consideration and practicalities of a general strike." Leaders of the two biggest teaching unions will meet at the conference to decide whether to hold co-ordinated strikes this autumn, with other unions likely to add their support. The move followed a huge vote in favour of industrial action by members of the National Union of Teachers. The Public and Commercial Services union is expected to join any strike by teachers. Its leader, Mark Serwotka, said unions should move quickly to pile pressure on the government, suggesting that anti-austerity protests on 20 October should be followed by industrial action. He added: "Not only is this government's brutal obsession with austerity not working, it is making our economic situation worse. Pay, pensions and tens of thousands of jobs are being cut, people's living standards are being driven down, support for the sick and disabled is being hacked away and the NHS and our welfare state are being torn apart. The demonstrations on 20 October will send an important message to government ministers that we do not want their cuts and that there is an alternative. As well as protesting on the streets, we believe we will need to follow this up as soon as possible with further co-ordinated strikes, bringing unions together across the public and private sectors. Unison leader Dave Prentis said he had "no doubt" that more industrial action would be taken on issues such as pay, with millions of public-sector workers facing years of having their wages frozen.