Train cleaners strike over 'poverty pay'

Cleaners servicing Virgin trains on the West Coast Main Line will launch the first of two 24-hour strikes tonight in a row over pay and conditions.

The cleaners, employed by the Carlisle Group, will walk out at 8pm and again at 8pm on Sunday.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union, said: "This strike is all about the fight against poverty pay and for dignity and respect at work for the cleaners who toil through the night to maintain trains on the prestigious West Coast route.

"Carlisle Group have offered these workers nothing this year despite the fact that the company is highly profitable and there's plenty of cash in the coffers for the directors and shareholders."