Up to 250 workers at Watford General Hospital could strike because of a dispute over zero-hours contracts and “poor pay”.

Members of the GMB union have threatened to take industrial action if zero-hours contracts are not scrapped for cleaners and porters, and if the workers do not receive a pay increase.

West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust uses facilities giant Medirest to employ its cleaners. Medirest directors and GMB members failed to reach an agreement on March 9.

Staff are currently paid ten pence an hour more than the minimum wage to “handle dead bodies, clean blood and faeces, and undertake the general catering and support to patients in the hospital”.

Michael Dooley, GMB local representative said: "Medirest directors said point blank that they were keeping zero-hours contracts but they will now monitor their use to stop abuse. Regarding the pittance pay, they said they will not pay any more.

"GMB have done everything possible to bring to the attention of the hospital trust how serious the situation is. "

"Medirest's profits continue to rise while local people working as porters are asked to deal with deceased patients, while on zero-hours contracts and minimum wage.

"No amount of reason has convinced Medirest to increase the wages, so we may be forced to strike for as long as it takes. The matter will not just go away and neither will GMB."

Medirest and GMB will meet again on March 30.