Merseyrail cleaners strike

A group of RMT union members and supporters pose outside a railway facility, holding RMT “Official Picket” signs, red union flags and a large green-and-red “Central Mersey & North Branch Liverpool” banner. A red RMT flag, held reversed so it appears to read "TMR", is also visible. The group stands behind a pavement beside a fenced railway area.

Image from RMT website here.

Cleaners on Merseyrail, employed by outsourced contractor Churchill, struck from 7-8 August.

Merseyrail cleaners' baseline pay is pegged to the living wage, as set by the Living Wage Foundation, currently £13.45 outside of London. This is written into the contract by Mersyerail itself. But under previous contractor Mitie, cleaners had won a 20p/hour differential on top of that, which Churchill wants to cut to 10p.

Churchill reported profits of £15.3 million for 2025, and paid out dividends of approximately £13.5 million to its shareholders. The notion that it cannot afford an additional 10p per hour to pay cleaners a little more than the bare minimum is risible.

RMT has rightly said that, if the bosses don't budge, strikes will escalate.

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