Leading article: Bad timing, but there is a right to strike

Both sides can take some comfort from yesterday's public sector protest over pensions: the Government because fewer people appear to have withdrawn their labour than feared, producing correspondingly less disruption; the workers because, on picket lines and marches across the country, they made their point in numbers that made this probably the biggest strike for a generation.

But there is another reason why, although a walk-out was the last thing the economy needed at this point and many were inconvenienced, a general sense of satisfaction is in order. This was a protest by organised labour that took place within the law; there was time for contingency planning, and the marches were orderly.

Every now and again, it is worth remembering that the rights people in this country enjoy – and, indeed, preach to others – exist not just on paper, but for real, and they include the right to strike.