Rail cleaners dispute ends as pay offer accepted

A dispute between cleaners on the Merseyrail transport netrwork and the outsourcing firm Churchill Services has ended after workers accepted a pay offer.

Union members, who had threatened 48-hour strike action during the Grand National race festival, voted overwhelmingly to accept the offer, the RMT union said.

The new agreement includes a six per cent pay rise backdated to April 2023, a further five per cent from April 2024, improved sick pay, and an uplift to a £15 minimum hourly rate from April 2025

It maked a "significant victory for the low-paid cleaning workforce", the RMT said. Churchill Services declined to comment.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said the victory was down to the "guts and determination of members who stood strong throughout the dispute".

"They have won better pay, better conditions, and the respect they deserve," he said.

"But this win should not have taken strike action to settle as cleaners working on Merseyrail should not be outsourced in the first place.

"Merseyrail needs to be brought back into full public ownership, and that means bringing cleaning staff back in-house where they belong.

"As long as profiteering contractors like Churchill are involved, workers will always be fighting uphill.

"Public transport should be run in the public interest – not to line the pockets of private firms."

Merseyrail have been contacted for comment.

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