Today's strike sees hundreds of thousands of people from across the public sector walk out in protest over their terms and conditions.
Public sector strike
Public sector strike(01 of31)
Public sector workers and members of the GMB union make their way through Brighton, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(02 of31)
Public sector workers and members of the GMB union make their way through Brighton, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(03 of31)
Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(04 of31)
Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(05 of31)
Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(06 of31)
Public sector workers and members of the GMB union make their way through Brighton, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(07 of31)
Public sector worker Scott Clarke with six-year-old daughter Amber Clarke during a march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(08 of31)
Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(09 of31)
Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(10 of31)
Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(11 of31)
Public sector worker Scott Clarke with six-year-old daughter Amber Clarke during a march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(12 of31)
Public sector workers and members of the GMB union make their way through Brighton, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(13 of31)
Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(14 of31)
Public sector worker Scott Clarke with six-year-old daughter Amber Clarke during a march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(15 of31)
Public sector workers and members of the GMB union make their way through Brighton, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(16 of31)
Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
BRITAIN-STRIKE-LABOUR(17 of31)
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union man a picket line outside the House of Commons in central London on July 10, 2014. More than one million public sector workers went on strike in Britain Thursday over pay and spending cuts by the government imposed as part of its austerity programme, trade unions said. AFP PHOTO / CARL COURT (Photo credit should read CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:CARL COURT via Getty Images)
BRITAIN-STRIKE-LABOUR(18 of31)
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union man a picket line outside the House of Commons in central London on July 10, 2014. More than one million public sector workers went on strike in Britain Thursday over pay and spending cuts by the government imposed as part of its austerity programme, trade unions said. AFP PHOTO / CARL COURT (Photo credit should read CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:CARL COURT via Getty Images)
BRITAIN-STRIKE-LABOUR(19 of31)
A woman prepares to take part in a march and rally in central London on July 10, 2014, as more than one million public sector workers went on strike in Britain Thursday over pay and spending cuts by the government imposed as part of its austerity programme, trade unions said. AFP PHOTO / CARL COURT (Photo credit should read CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:CARL COURT via Getty Images)
Over Million Public Sector Workers Hold Nationwide Strike(20 of31)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: A man dressed as the Grim Reaper stands on a union picket line as he takes industrial action outside the offices for the National Offender Management Service on July 10, 2014 in London, England. Over one million public sector workers are expected to take strike action today across the UK over disputes with the Government concerning pay, pensions and cuts. Professions of those taking industrial action include: teachers, council staff, firefighters and civil servants. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (credit:Oli Scarff via Getty Images)
Over Million Public Sector Workers Hold Nationwide Strike(21 of31)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: A man dressed as the Grim Reaper stands on a union picket line as he takes industrial action outside the offices for the National Offender Management Service on July 10, 2014 in London, England. Over one million public sector workers are expected to take strike action today across the UK over disputes with the Government concerning pay, pensions and cuts. Professions of those taking industrial action include: teachers, council staff, firefighters and civil servants. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (credit:Oli Scarff via Getty Images)
Over Million Public Sector Workers Hold Nationwide Strike(22 of31)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: A man dressed as the Grim Reaper stands on a union picket line as he takes industrial action outside the offices for the National Offender Management Service on July 10, 2014 in London, England. Over one million public sector workers are expected to take strike action today across the UK over disputes with the Government concerning pay, pensions and cuts. Professions of those taking industrial action include: teachers, council staff, firefighters and civil servants. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (credit:Oli Scarff via Getty Images)
Public sector strike(23 of31)
Unison General secretary Dave Prentis (centre) joins public sector workers and members of Unison as they gather outside the Houses of Parliament in central London during the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Nick Ansell/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(24 of31)
Public sector workers and members of Unison gather outside the Houses of Parliament in central London as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Nick Ansell/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(25 of31)
Public sector workers outside Charles Thorpe Comprehensive school in Ryton, Gateshead, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(26 of31)
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union gather outside the Houses of Parliament in central London as they take part in the one-day public sector workers walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Nick Ansell/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(27 of31)
Unison General secretary Dave Prentis (centre) joins public sector workers and members of Unison as they gather outside the Houses of Parliament in central London during the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Nick Ansell/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(28 of31)
Public sector workers outside Charles Thorpe Comprehensive school in Ryton, Gateshead, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(29 of31)
Public sector workers outside Charles Thorpe Comprehensive school in Ryton, Gateshead, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(30 of31)
Unison General secretary Dave Prentis (centre) joins public sector workers and members of Unison as they gather outside the Houses of Parliament in central London during the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Nick Ansell/PA Wire)
Public sector strike(31 of31)
A slogan on a tee shirt as public sector workers and members of Unison gather outside the Houses of Parliament in central London as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts. (credit:Nick Ansell/PA Wire)
Schools across England and Wales closed and there was disruption to council services, museums and galleries, the fire service and jobcentres as more than a million workers took industrial action in bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts.
But don't look too glum.
Always ready to look on the bright side, The Huffington Post UK is here to provide some potential upshots for the industrial action, believed to the biggest since the government took power in 2010.
The Upshots Of Today's Strike
You can cross the Humber for free!(01 of08)
Normally requiring a toll, the Humber Bridge is free today as the people who normally charge you £1.50 to drive over it are on the picket line.
Humber Bridge is free to cross today because of the strikes. Think I might drive backward and forward over it just to get my monies worth.
— Terry Coates (@TerryCoates1977) July 10, 2014More business for restaurants in Westminster as MPs dine out(02 of08)
Catering staff who normally feed MPs and Peers in the Houses of Parliament have joined the strike, so restaurants nearby could see a surge in business. Given how much parliamentarians usually expense for wining and dining, Westminster restaurants could expect a significant return. (credit:Steve Parsons/PA Wire)
Calmer drivers with anger management issues(03 of08)
Lollipop men and women are out on strike. Drivers who lose their minds in anger every time someone in a high-vis jacket gestures for them to stop so kids can cross, will be happy. On the down side, there's always a chance those pupils who did make it to school face a tougher time crossing the road. (credit:Hugo Philpott/PA Archive)
A few more days of freedom(04 of08)
If you committed an imprisonable offence and were due to be sentenced today, you may find it's postponed because the court is closed, as court staff join in the walkout. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts. (credit:Stephen Kelly/PA Archive)
Hate reading or quiet places?(05 of08)
Good news here too. Libraries can't function without staff, so if you hate reading and you're home from school because your teachers are striking, you've hit the jackpot twice. Make some noise! (credit:Edward Smith/EMPICS Entertainment)
Keyboard warrior?(06 of08)
If you're long on time and like giving thoughts on the issue of the day, today is a bonanza. Whether it's cries of 'Get back to work!' or 'I stand proudly with...', #strikeaction looks set to trend all day. Make your views known! Repeatedly. (credit:Edward Smith/EMPICS Entertainment)
There's a small chance you can pay your tax a bit later. What? We said it was a small chance.(07 of08)
The strike is not just teachers, refuse collectors and other people doing jobs the public at large appreciate. Tax office staff are also out striking. To be clear - you should still pay your taxes as normal. (credit:Hugh Macknight/PA Archive)
Less nervous learner drivers(08 of08)
Driving test examiners are striking, so nervous learners due to take their test can breathe a sigh of relief or sit the test without an examiner. Ok, so maybe not the second option. (credit:PA/PA Wire)