THE cleaning staff of one of the country’s train operators have gone on strike due to a disagreement over pay and conditions.

A group of cleaners, who are employed by Atalian Servest, stood outside Carlisle’s Citadel Station over the weekend to protest over their work arrangements.

City Councillor Louise Atkinson joined the group with their protests and told the News and Star how angry she felt after hearing from the employees.

She said: “It’s a real shame that the staff felt that they needed to go on strike, but I was more than happy to stand in solidarity with them at the weekend.

“They are key workers who worked all the way through the pandemic and are crucial to the way our railways running successfully across the country.

"I think it’s absolutely appalling with the way they have been treated.

“The latest pay offer doesn’t even touch a living wage which is disgusting. They have no sick pay either which, in the current climate, is totally shocking.

"I think, as we’re all being hit by inflation in prices, rises to fuel, food and housing, it’s our lowest paid workers who are being hit the worst and are most impacted by it.”

Discussing the strikes, an Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “We were disappointed by the decision to proceed with industrial action.

"Although the dispute is not between us and the RMT, we worked alongside our partners and implemented a contingency plan. There was no impact on the services we ran in our timetable."

The union and Atalian Servest have been contacted for comment.