WORKERS at six train maintenance depots in England and Scotland continued strike action yesterday against a pay freeze.

French multinational firm Alstom employs about 1,000 workers at depots at Longsight in Manchester, Wembley in London, Oxley in Wolverhampton, Edgehill in Liverpool, Polmadie in Glasgow and in Chester.

Workers walked out at 6pm on Thursday for the second in a series of six 24-hour strikes at five depots, while Chester staged its own action.

Alstom manufactures and maintains Pendolino high-speed trains in operation on the UK rail network.

Two hundred workers were out at the company’s Manchester depot and pickets were in action.

RMT north-west regional organiser Daren Ireland told the Morning Star: “[Alstom] announced a pay freeze simply because they want increased profits. 

“At the same time they spent €3 billion buying Bombardier Transportation. Then they said they had no money to give workers a pay rise. It is absolutely disgusting.

“It is an attack on our members and it is an attack on the working class.”

RMT general secretary Mick Cash accused management of “trying every trick in the book” after the company wrote to workers to misinform them that the strikes are “illegal.”

“I doubt very much whether their shareholders have been told they will be receiving nothing this year,” Mr Cash said.

Further 24-hour strikes will start at 6pm on December 8, 13, 17 and 22.

Alstom has been contacted for comment.