MPs pension �37,000 pa, public service workers pensions �20,000 max in a minority of cases- strike unnecessary?

Yes it is unnecessary. You are not comparing like with like. Whereas giving the MPs a better pension may cost the public purse a few hundred thousands, maintaining the present pension scheme for public sector workers would cost several hundred millions. We want the best people in government and must be prepared to pay for them. (We don't always get them but the principle remains). The strike appears to be unnecessary not only in terms of cost to the public purse but also because it is a foregone conclusion that the nation as a whole cannot afford to maintain the present arrangements and the strike will therefore fail to achieve its objective.