HUNDREDS of workers staged demonstrations in the North-East yesterday to protest at plans to raise their retirement age from 60 to 65.

Council workers, NHS staff, teachers, firefighters and civil servants held rallies across the country ahead of a planned strike next month.

North-East union members gathered at Grey's Monument, in Newcastle, and near the Combined Court Centre in Middlesbrough after talks between Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, the unions and employers ended after four hours on Thursday without agreement.

A spokesman for Unison, Britain's biggest union, said he had no doubt its 800,000 council workers would vote to strike over the row on March 23.

Trades Union Council general secretary Brendan Barber said those in heavy manual work or with stressful jobs in health and social services would be at greater risk of illness or even shorter lives.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "We find it completely wrong that orders should be approved by MPs taking away our pension rights when those same MPs have the best pension scheme in Europe."

Other unions will also ballot their members. Up to 1.4 million workers could strike.

Last week, five unions met Mr Prescott at Labour's conference in Gateshead for talks on the pensions issue, but no deal was reached.

Steve Gregg, regional secretary of the Fire Brigades' Union, said up to 200 people attended yesterday's rally in Middlesbrough