RAILWAY passengers could face disruption over the next bank holiday after Northern Rail staff voted to strike over the firm’s use of agency workers.

The RMT union said the firm, which runs services across the North East and North Yorkshire, is employing casual staff, rather than its own employees, to check tickets at stations.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the train operator was undermining its workers’ working conditions, pay and job security while exploiting a “short-term workforce, paid a pittance and denied the most basic of workplace benefits”.

He said the union’s executive was considering the result of the ballot, but it had a clear mandate.

Mr Crow said: “"If there is work that needs doing, it should be done by permanently employed staff on decent pay and conditions, including the current agency staff."

A spokesman for Northern Rail said the union was effectively asking it to "put people out of work" and that it would seek to minimise disruption for customers if strike action went ahead.

The earliest date a strike by the union’s 2,000 members who work for the firm could take place is on Monday, May 27.