THE sheer breadth and scale of today’s strike by public sector workers will affect the lives of virtually everyone in Dorset and the New Forest.

There will be picket lines on sites from college campuses to ambulance stations and marches from Dorchester to Bournemouth.

The TUC said around 19,000 people would take part in Dorset, from a handful of coastguards to hundreds of ministry of defence staff, to thousands of teachers.

The main effect will be school closures; every one is closed in Bournemouth, bar Linwood School for pupils with special educational needs.

In Poole, only Sylvan and Hillbourne schools will be open as normal, while five will be partially open and the other 32 closed.

Dorset County Council said 27 schools would be open, 20 partially open and 103 closed.

The biggest teachers’ union, the NUT, has around 1,450 members in Dorset schools. They will be joined on strike by colleagues from the NASUWT, the ATL and NAHT.

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The nationwide strike over pensions will effect services from the most basic to the most serious.

Rubbish and recycling collections in Poole are cancelled; they were due in Canford Heath, Bearwood, Merley, Alderney, Oakdale and Waterloo.

Bournemouth council said people should put their bins out as normal and if they are not collected, put them out again on Saturday, December 3.

Dorset County Council said services would be affected in Christchurch, and north and east Dorset. People should put their bins out before 7am, and if they go uncollected, put them out again on the next collection date.

The emergency services say front line services should continue despite some back room strikes.

Potential strikers at Dorset Police include PCSOs, call takers and professional staff such as forensics officers. Dorset Fire and Rescue service has 148 back room staff, including striking Unison members, from a total of 821 employees.

South West Ambulance Service has 698 staff in Dorset, mainly paramedics, of whom around half per cent are in Unison. There are around 100 staff at St Leonards Control Centre and a vehicle maintenance centre on Ferndown Industrial Estate.

A union spokesman said: “Some staff are coming in to provider life and limb cover, even though they are officially on strike.”

SWAS urged people to consider whether their problem needed an ambulance response.

There will be no outpatient X-ray service at Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals and the day hospital at Christchurch will be closed. Only emergency patient transports is available.

All kinds of council staff will be on strike from planning officers to street sweepers to dog wardens. Poole has 4,950 staff and it estimated 36 per cent are in a union, though a spokesman said it does not always know if staff are in a union.

Dorset County Council has 6,700 staff, and Bournemouth’s has 4,470. Bournemouth Unison expects up to 1,200 strikers.

At least 500 union members and supporters will assemble at Bournemouth’s Triangle on Wednesday from noon for speeches and a march to the Royal Bath Hotel. More than 1,500 are expected for a similar march in Dorchester.

Around half of Bournemouth University’s 500 academic staff are members of the striking UCU, while other staff are members of Unison.

The strike effect won’t be known until today because staff do not have to say they are striking. The picture will be similar at the smaller Arts University College, Bournemouth.

Both places predict little disruption, as did the Bournemouth and Poole College, which has 900 staff.

There are around 600-800 civilian Ministry of Defence civilian staff at the army bases in Blandford, Bovington and West Moors. Their striking unions include Prospect and the PCS.

Ben Lane, director of corporate affairs for Dorset Probation Service, said around half of its 250 staff were members of the striking NAPO and Unison. Some meeting dates with offenders have been rearranged.

Bournemouth Crown and County Court has around 50 staff and expects a normal service based on past experience. The magistrates court expects the same.

The Border Agency expects to be able to maintain services at Poole port and Bournemouth Airport, though the incoming flight from Cyprus may be affected.

Bournemouth said two day centres would remain open –which ones would be decided today. Children’s centres and community centres will open as normal. The Town Hall will be open. Enquiry waiting times may be longer than normal.

Dorset County Council’s day centres will operate a reduced service. No library closures are planned. All Poole Libraries, the museum and cemeteries will be open.

Purbeck and Christchurch councils said they expected little disruption to their services.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it has 25 staff at Portland though only about a third will be on shift. Department for Work and Pensions staff at Job Centres and the Poole enquiry centre will join the strike.