Third British union moves for civil services strike

The possibility of a crippling strike by Britain's civil servants moved a step closer when their largest union voted for all-out stoppages. The decision by the 235,000-member Civil and Public Services Association at its annual meeting means that three of nine unions on the Council of Civil Service Unions have voted for a strike.

Air traffic controllers and customs officers were already staging brief and selective stoppages to support their 10-week-old demand for a 15-per cent pay rise.