Strike due by Virgin train cleaning staff

Workers in the West Midlands who clean Virgin Trains on the West Coast Mainline will stage a 24-hour strike this week in a row over pay.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union employed by Carlisle Cleaning and Support Services will walk out on Friday and will also refuse to empty train effluent tanks or refill fresh water tanks for 48 hours from the evening of November 4. Workplaces affected by the strike include Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Crewe and London Euston.

The union said its members voted by 94 per cent in favour of action in protest at a below-inflation pay offer as well as moves to de-recognise the RMT.

Cleaners work both at Wolverhampton rail station and at a depot in Oxley run by Alstom, which maintains the trains for Virgin.

Virgin Trains communications director Arthur Leathley said: "We don't expect any disruption to services as a result of this dispute."