London: Union leaders were meeting late yesterday to co-ordinate their response to the government's spending cuts and explore the possibility of staging mass strikes.
The TUC also announced a major march and rally in London on March 26 to protest against the cuts and highlight the damage being caused to public services.
The discussions come ahead of rallies in London and Manchester this weekend in protest at job losses and increases in tuition fees.
Representing workers in both the public and private sectors, the union leaders are meeting at a time when tighter public spending is beginning to translate into staff reductions.
Liverpool city council has announced plans to axe 1,500 jobs as it seeks to make £141 million worth of savings by 2013.
The GMB union said local authorities had announced or threatened more than 145,000 job losses. Around 285 councils still have to make decisions on how to cope with fewer financial resources.
Co-ordinated industrial action against proposed job losses is one course of action being examined. Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, said before the meeting: "I hope we'll make good progress towards greater co-ordination between the unions.
"While strike action is always a last resort, it would be the result of the government's refusal to change course and its political choice to press ahead with unnecessary and hugely damaging cuts."