EMPLOYERS say staff are struggling to manage childcare and work commitments in response to today's teachers' strike.

Members of the National Union of Teachers are taking action in protest at their latest pay offer. All 125 schools in Bolton will be affected, with 44 closing completely.

Business owners are bracing themselves for disruption, with staff likely to arrive late or take the day off to look after children.

The teachers' action is coinciding with a day of strikes by coastguards, college lecturers, driving test examiners, Jobcentre workers and other civil servants - the most wide-ranging series of walkouts since Labour came to power in 1997 Bolton Council, the borough's biggest employer, has encouraged managers to be sympathetic to workers with childcare problems.

A spokesman said: "It is inevitable that many council employees will be affected by the teachers' strike and, as a result, we have encouraged managers to be sympathetic to requests for time off."

The council advised staff to make use of flexi-time or annual holiday entitlement.

Communications giant 02, which employs more than 1,000 people at its Bury call centre, is organising shift changes to cope with the disruption - it is expected 34 of the 59 schools in Bury will be affected. Managers at 02 have also granted annual leave to staff at short notice and were even considering hiring a child care company to provide a temporary facility at the call centre for the day.

Zoe Beswick, aged 32, of Brandlesholme, an 02 customer service adviser and mother of three, was allowed to take annual leave after finding out at 2.30pm yesterday that her eight-year-old son Lewis's school would be closed.

She said: "If I hadn't got the leave, I would have had to leave Lewis with my 15-year-old son, Stefan, which I wasn't happy about."

Nigel McFarlane, manager of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Bolton, said: "Many employees have struggled to make alternative childcare arrangements."

The NUT said the disruption was regrettable, but necessary to get the message about teacher's pay across to the Government.

Aivis Gilmore, regional secretary for the NUT, said: "If we don't take action, teacher shortages will get worse."