More than 300 staff on Wednesday took part in the first ever strike at the European Central Bank, according to their trade union. The ECB employees put down pens and computer mice for 90 minutes as members of the central bank’s 22-strong governing council gathered for Thursday’s interest rate-setting meeting.

The action, including a demonstration outside the ECB’s Frankfurt headquarters, was called over complaints that the central bank had failed to negotiate properly over planned changes to staff pensions.