Over seventy members of the RMT were ballotted for strike action after their anti-union employer offered them an "rehashed" three-year pay deal. Union members rejected this offer by a 12-1 margin and were solidly out on strike today leaving untrained office staff to run the trains.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow was on the picket line this morning: "RMT members at Heathrow Express are out solidly today and if the company keeps its head buried in the sand they will be out solidly again on Monday.

"Using inadequately trained managers to run trains will not settle this dispute but it will put people's lives at risk.

"Our membership has grown steadily throughout this dispute and they have twice rejected the three-year offer on the table by a 12-to-one margin"

Strike action was first threatened when management announced a new three year pay deal without consulting either the RMT or ASLEF. The membership of both rail unions were unimpressed and it was only the threat of strike action that brought the company to the negotiating table. After this first round of negotiations the ASLEF leadership advised their members to accept the offer, whereas the RMT leadership thought it was still an inadequate settelement. Both unions ballotted their members and the votes came out exactly as the leadership advised. However, this has done no harm to the RMT's recruitment with rail workers preferring to be in a fighting union. Another 24 hour strike is planned for Monday unless the company is willing to offer a more satisfactory deal.