STRIKING cleaners will protest outside London’s City Hall after being told sick pay would only be considered in circumstances “such as terminal illness,” RMT transport union said today.

The outsourced Docklands Light Railway (DLR) workers will join a demonstration calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan to end outsourcing during a Transport for London’s board meeting on February 4.

Their contractor employer Bidvest Noonan has told them that “sick pay would only be considered in extremely limited circumstances, such as terminal illness, which the union branded an insult,” said a spokesman for RMT, adding that the dispute is a “direct consequence of TfL’s outsourcing model.”

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “The upcoming strike action by DLR cleaners’ lays bare the cruel reality of outsourcing where frontline workers are treated with contempt by ruthless contractors.”

A spokesperson for TfL, which awarded a new cleaning contract to Mitie last month, said: “Now our new cleaning contract has been awarded, TfL will be working with Mitie and Trade Union partners on a comprehensive pilot in order to understand the necessary steps to deliver these services in-house in an efficient, affordable and productive manner.

“TfL does not currently specialise in cleaning, facilities management and associated services so the pilot will help build internal expertise while assessing the benefits that insourcing can deliver. We will now be working through the detail of this pilot, and will provide more details in due course as these discussions progress.”

The mayor, who has supported bringing cleaners back in-house, and the company were contacted for comment.