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Reporting from London—

Hundreds of thousands of teachers, police workers, immigration officers and other government employees walked off the job Thursday across Britain in a mass strike that could augur a summer of industrial action over deep cuts in public spending.

The picket lines went up to protest proposed changes to state-sponsored pension plans, which would require public-sector workers to increase their contributions, retire later and collect less than they do now. The government says overhauling the system is imperative in light of the country's huge budget deficit and Britons' longer lifespans.

Though there have been several large protests this year of the government's far-reaching austerity program, Thursday's strike was the first wide-scale action and was being viewed as a test run for potentially more to come.

Union leaders and politicians alike are eager to see whether fellow Britons blame the government or the workers for the disruption. The 24-hour walkout came even though the two sides are still in negotiations, with some observers saying a compromise is possible.

The unions declared the strike a success, estimating that up to 750,000 employees, mostly teachers, took part. Classes were canceled at more than 10,000 schools across England and Wales. Some passport-control officers at airports across the country began striking Wednesday night.

Britain's ruling coalition, led by the Conservative Party, downplayed the strike's effects. Officials said airports and ports were operating normally, courthouses continued hearing cases and fewer civil servants turned out for the strike than the unions had predicted.

This week, Prime Minister David Cameron appealed to workers to stay on the job. But Emily Cotterill, a history teacher in East London, said she had no choice but to participate.

"We have to go on strike to protect ourselves.... No one's asking for the moon on a stick, just for things to be fairer," said Cotterill, 27, who joined her colleagues in a noisy march through downtown London. "It will raise awareness at least. And if things don't change, there are likely to be other strikes."

The demonstration here in the capital was mostly a peaceful affair, although a few scuffles broke out between police and suspected anarchists in hooded shirts. Security was heavy around Parliament and along Whitehall, the government quarter.

The planned pension changes are part of the government's effort to rein in spending and pare down a public debt that is among the largest in Europe. The Conservative-led coalition has pushed through a plan to slash the budget by a $130 billion in four years, the deepest cuts in a generation, which will leave almost no element of public services untouched. Nearly half a million state jobs are to be axed.

Union activists have promised to keep up their protest against the cuts, which are expected to bite later this year.

But public support for strikes has waned over the years in Britain, making such action politically trickier than before. That has been evident in the reaction of the opposition Labor Party, which despite its name decided to join the government in criticizing Thursday's walkout.

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The government is a coalition with the Conservatives and Liberal parties.

I was in central London and I have to admit I didn't notice anything different yesterday and missed the strikes. Some of the cuts are needed, but some go too far and the government has taken a few uturns on policy when they have proved to be unpopular which is good as it seems as if they are listening and thank god the Liberals are part of the government, otherwise I don't think it would have happened. At one point they (the Tories) wanted to sell off the forests and privitize public land, they stopped that. We need to cut costs, but some aspects go too far.

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i think the problems with austerity measures in britain, as with those across europe, is that austerity without a plan for future growth, just doesn't work. right now, it seems like all of our governments are just trying to hang on to current status quo of big, all encompassing, centralized planning, and this in fact (at least here in the states) is indeed preventing private sector growth, which IS the engine of prosperity in this world. we have got to stop thinking of private wealth as a bad thing, because when the wealthy get wealthier, it means there is a growing economy. and when the wealthy are investing in new businesses, or expanding businesses, it means that there is more employment for everyone. you simply can't have a thriving economy where everyone is making the same amount of profit. there are going to be those who profit more than others, but these are the same people providing employment for others. right now, current system is an impediment to private growth. this is made evident by the $2 trillion that the private sector is holding out on. right now, it's not in anyone's interest to expand or invest more money. there's so much red tape, and no one is sure what their operating costs are going to be. there's so much uncertainty out there right now. if you want an economic rebound, lower taxes. make it easier for businesses to open up in your town, state, or country, than in other places. provide incentives. but don't think that the government is going to lead us out of this, because the government inherently lacks an understanding of the business world. everything that's been tried (at least by obama) has failed. the stimulus failed. his healthcare bill is actually raising the cost of healthcare. this oil release scheme failed. you have to let the private sector lead us out of this. and the only way the government can help, is by getting out of the way and making doing business easier.

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I'm a little surprised that terrorists didnt use this as an opportunity to strike targets.  Perhaps God's Angels are looking out for the good guys even through all this.