Heathrow Express rail staff vote to strike in pay row

The RMT said the offer was "loaded with strings"

Staff on the Heathrow Express rail service have voted to go on strike in a row over pay, a union has said.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said more than 300 of its members who work on the service had "overwhelmingly" supported the move.

RMT members based at Heathrow and Eastbourne Terrace will walk out for 48 hours from 0340 BST on 27 May and for 24 hours from 0240 BST on 24 June.

Heathrow Express said it would continue to look for a resolution.

Contingency timetable

A statement from the service - which operates from Paddington, west London - said: "Heathrow Express still wishes to avoid any industrial action and continues to work to a resolution, as our number one priority is to avoid inconvenience to our customers.

"We are finalising our contingency timetable for the planned 48-hour strike on Friday 27 May and will be informing our customers of any adjustments to our service shortly."

RMT general secretary Bob Crow accused the company of tabling a "completely unacceptable pay offer... loaded with strings".

He said: "Despite a massive vote for action by our members it has made no attempt to negotiate or improve its offer.

"We are ready to negotiate seriously to put in place a fair pay package that will take us through the Olympics period and recognise the contribution our members make to delivering a successful service, and we need the company to show the same commitment."