LONDON—Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, who clean the Eurostar cross-channel trains to Paris, went on a 48-hour strike September 17. The workers protested the 16-week suspension of their shop steward Mohammed Yellow, management’s refusal to negotiate a pay rise for 2009, and the use of a fingerprinting system to clock in and out of work. Union members voted unanimously for the strike. They make £6.37 (about US$10) per hour, a little more than the government minimum of £5.73.

At a lively picket Yellow said, “We want to negotiate, but if not, we are ready to fight. We’ve got the support of other union members, including the train drivers.” The company, Carlisle Group, recruited temporary workers at a higher pay rate to try to break the strike. Despite that, trains were sent back to the depot before the stoppage to try to get them cleaned for the next morning.

—ROSE KNIGHT