WORKERS are facing a volatile cocktail of job cuts and attacks on pay and pensions which could spark industrial action, the head of the TUC said today.

The warning came after a meeting to discuss co-ordinated action against the Government's spending cuts.

Officials from the country's biggest trade unions, representing workers in the public and private sectors, met in London amid growing anger at the impact of the Governments cuts on jobs and services.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said later: "The Government's agenda is doing huge damage to the economy and vital public services. The TUC is mounting a wide campaign against these mistaken policies.

"Today's meeting was to consider the appropriate industrial response to the volatile cocktail of issues that face union members across the public sector - the pay freeze, job cuts and attacks on pensions.

"No-one is talking about a general strike, but of course these attacks on our members could well give rise to industrial action around specific disputes.

"Today's meeting showed a clear determination for unions to work together on industrial issues including, as a last resort, industrial action when members support it.

"The TUC will step up its work co-ordinating the industrial work of unions. There will be monthly meetings of all the TUCs public sector unions in the Public Services Liaison Group, and the TUCs General Council will consider at each of its meetings a report of what is happening across the whole economy."