Eurostar cleaners set to strike

The pay dispute has been raging for a number of years

Workers who clean Eurostar have voted to strike on Bank Holiday Monday in a dispute over pay.

More than 120 members of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will walk out for 24 hours on 25 August.

The union wants a higher basic wage than the £6.37 an hour the staff, who work for contractor OCS, receive.

OCS was unavailable to comment. A Eurostar spokeswoman said services would run as normal and contingency plans would be in place if necessary.

Eurostar is expected to ferry about 140,000 passengers between London, Paris and Brussels during the Bank Holiday weekend.

Bitter dispute

The union and OCS management have clashed for some time over cleaners' wages.

Union officials said cleaners were not paid extra for working bank holidays.

In addition, RMT General Secretary Bob Crow argued there was no pension, sick pay and only the "bare minimum legal holiday entitlement".

He called the situation a "disgrace".

A strike was threatened in the run up to Christmas 2006 but was called off amid further negotiations.

Then, union officials had been demanding pay of at least £7.20.

This is a level that is regarded by the Greater London Authority as the minimum rate that a worker can live on to provide a decent standard of living for themselves and their family in the capital.