Union chief says Eurostar cleaners authorize strike in pay dispute, no date set

LONDON - A union says train cleaners working for Eurostar in London have voted to authorize a strike in a dispute over pay.

Bob Crow, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said Friday that the 150 workers now receive little more than the U.K. minimum wage, which is 6.08 pounds ($9.54) per hour for workers 21 and over.

Crow says Eurostar's offer was less than the rate of inflation, which would amount to a pay cut in real terms.

No date was announced for a strike.

Workers throughout Britain are coping with a financial squeeze. The current rate of consumer price inflation — 4.2 per cent — is about double the growth rate for income.