Prime minister David Cameron is expected to urge all public sector workers to join council staff in delaying strikes over pensions when he addresses the Local Government Association conference in Birmingham later today.

Mr Cameron is poised to urge civil service and education trade unions to call off planned strikes on 30 June. Up to 750,000 public staff are likely to join walk-outs on Thursday, after ministers outlined a series of proposals to reform public pensions – including plans to make staff contribute more to their retirement pots and to increase the public pension age.