Ministers have stepped up their war of words with the unions as Britain's biggest public sector strike for a generation gets underway.
Chancellor George Osborne said on Wednesday the strikes would achieve "nothing" and it was time for unions to "get back round the table" and negotiate with the government over public sector pensions.
"The strike is not going to achieve anything, it's not going to change anything.
"It is only going to make our economy weaker and potentially cost jobs.
"So let's get back round the negotiating table, let's get a pension deal that is fair to the public sector, that gives decent pensions for many, many decades to come but which this county can also afford and our taxpayers can afford.
"That is what we should be doing today, not seeing these strikes", he told the BBC.
But as three quarters of the nation's schools close, non-emergency operations are cancelled and the government roll out contingency plan to prevent 12 hour queues at airports, union leaders have hit back at the government.
In a blog for the Huffington Post, Unison leader Dave Prentis said two million people were striking as a "last resort".
"The government is trying to paint a picture of macho union leaders squaring up for a fight, but their aggressive policies are hitting women hard and turning them off. Applications to join Unison have jumped a massive 126% since the result of the union's ballot for strike action was announced. An overwhelming 81% of these applications have come from women - reflecting exactly who women are turning to for support."
On Wednesday Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude labelled the walk-outs "inappropriate, untimely and irresponsible".
"Let me say again that the timing of this strike is indefensible and wrong. Union leaders should be responding in a responsible manner to reach agreement. A strike will not achieve anything other than causing inconvenience to hard working people at a time when we are trying to get the economy back on its feet.”