Cleaners on Kent’s railways could go on strike in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

Rail union the RMT is to hold a ballot of its members who work for two companies serving Southeastern and Southern services.

Sevenoaks-headquartered Wettons holds the cleaning contract for Southeastern, while Hertfordshire-based Churchills serves GTR, which runs Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said the two companies “think nothing of treating their cleaning staff like dirt”.

He said: “These two separate disputes have a common thread and that is the attempt to lock in low pay levels for cleaners and the continuing refusal to upgrade working conditions to a humane and acceptable level.”

He called on Southern and Southeastern to be held accountable and said they could not “wash their hands of these disputes” because they gave the contracts to Churchills and Wettons.

He added: “They have the power to demand that they treat their workforce with dignity and respect.”

“These two separate disputes have a common thread and that is the attempt to lock in low pay levels for cleaners and the continuing refusal to upgrade working conditions to a humane and acceptable level...” - Mick Cash, RMT

The union will hold the ballot – asking workers whether they want to go on strike or take industrial action short of a strike – on Monday.

Southeastern holds the franchise for the majority of the trains running across the county, while Southern runs services on the Ashford to Tonbridge and Ashford to Hastings route.

A Southeastern spokesman said: “This is a matter for Wettons who operate the contract with Southeastern. We encourage both sides to get round the table and resolve the dispute.”

A spokesperson for GTR said: “This is a matter for Churchill who won and operate this contract, and we would encourage both sides to seek a solution.”

The RMT remains in a long-running dispute with Southern owner GTR about the use of driver-only-operated trains.

Wettons and Churchills have been contacted for comment.