At the end of this week, cleaners who work on the railway but who are not directly employed by railway operating companies are to take strike action.

Tomorrow, Friday, 30th and Saturday, 31st December, cleaners employed by contract cleaning company ISS on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) are taking strike action to support their claim for better pay, action against rosters being imposed upon them, and attacks on their working conditions.

On Saturday, 31st December, across the national railway network, over 1,000 cleaners not directly employed by the railway operating companies will take part in a national strike, which is the first time that such a national strike has been held. Those rail companies that use contracted-out cleaning providers will be affected by the strike action; these include Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway (GWR), London North Eastern Railway (LNER), and TransPennine Express.

The cleaners are employed by a number of different companies, including Atalian Servest, Churchill, and Mitie, all companies with annual profits of millions of pounds. They are striking in support of their demands for £15 an hour, company sick pay, decent holidays, and good pensions.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “This is the first time cleaners have been taken out on strike across the rail network.

“It is a testament to our members’ fearlessness and determination to see justice done on pay and working conditions.

“These multimillion pound companies who super exploit workers who were rightly hailed as heroes during the pandemic should be removed from operating in Britain if they do not come to a negotiated settlement on our members’ modest demands.

“It is a national disgrace that many languish on the minimum wage, with no company sick or holiday pay while doing such an important job of keeping our stations and trains clean.

“These cleaners’ strikes are just the beginning of our industrial campaign for the most exploited workers on our railways.”