Metrolink's entire tram network could grind to a halt this month - after staff voted for a 24-hour strike.

Unite members have voted to walk out between 12.01am on February 11 until the same time on February 12.

The strike clashes with Manchester United's home game against Burnley at Old Trafford which kicks off at 7.45pm on Wednesday, February 11.

Many fans travel to the game via the nearby tram stop.

The dispute is over pay, with workers including drivers, electricians, controllers and customer service staff refusing to accept a proposed two-year deal.

Staff at MRDL, the Metrolink operator, have received a total 10 per cent pay increase over three years - but will not accept a total 3.5 per cent boost over the next two.

John Broughton, regional industrial organiser with Unite, said: “We have notified the company of a 24-hour stoppage on February 11 so I wouldn’t have thought there would be any trams at all. Virtually everybody working for Metrolink is in the bargaining group.

“Nobody wants to withdraw our labour, lose a day’s pay and cause disruption and we are sorry for any disruption.

“We know people have to get to work and go to school but unfortunately the only thing left open to us is to make a protest to the company so they can understand the breadth of feeling.

“Even at this late stage we would hope the company would come back around the negotiating table and hopefully we could come to a deal to divert the need for our members to withdraw their labour.”

Mr Broughton added: “Metrolink is an extremely successful transport infrastructure. Over the last few years drivers and engineers have worked tirelessly and diligently in order to get things done on time and gone over and above but they don’t feel valued.”

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Pay negotiations began last May, when Metrolink proposed a 0 per cent rise.

After objections, this was changed to a two-year deal of a 1.5 per cent rise in the first year, and a two per cent hike in the second.

Unite leadership suggested workers accept this, but it was rejected.

Members also took issue over ‘strings’ attached to the deal - including no sick benefits for new starters in the first year and changes to absence procedures.

An independent strike ballot resulted in the majority vote.

Of the 694 Metrolink staff, 440 are Unite members and of those 333 voted, with 73.3 per cent in favour.

This amounts to a total of 35 per cent of Metrolink staff voting in favour of strike action.

Chris Coleman, managing director of Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd, which operates the network, said they had worked hard to avoid strike action, but added: “Sadly, we have reached a point where we have exhausted all options available to us and Unite has felt it necessary to take strike action.”

He said the company believe the pay increase to be fair in the economic climate, when they need to make savings and protect jobs while rewarding employees for their work.

He said less than half the total employees had voted to strike but action would take place because this was a majority Unite vote.

He added: “Our priority now is to our customers, to equip them with the relevant information on their journey, and our employees who don’t want to take part in industrial action.

“We are currently developing a range of contingency plans for our customers on this day and we will share this as soon as possible.”

Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd (MRDL) – is contracted to operate and maintain the Metrolink network by TfGM. MRDL is responsible for the pay and conditions of its staff.

Previous pay deals have involved on average an increase of 3% since 2010. Last year front line employees – which include drivers and Customer Service Representatives – received a 4% pay increase with drivers also receiving a £250 one off payment.

Peter Cushing, TfGM Metrolink director, has urged staff to reconsider their plans to strike.

He said: “This is a matter for MRDL and its employees to agree, as TfGM staff are not a part of this action. However, there are obvious implications in terms of the impact this could have on passengers and we would urge MRDL staff to consider that very carefully.

“Front-line staff, including drivers and customer service representatives, have received a pay rise of 10 per cent in total over the last three years at a time when many people are facing significant financial pressures and significantly lower pay increases, if any.

“We will be working closely with MRDL to ensure the impact of any industrial action is minimised and we would encourage continued dialogue between the two parties to achieve a speedy resolution for passengers – who will ultimately suffer as a result of this unwarranted action.”

Councillor Andrew Fender, chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “Strike action should only be considered as a last resort and in this case it is simply not justified.

“In addition to the disruption and inconvenience that strikes would cause to passengers, the impact on Metrolink revenues could eventually lead to a call for fares increases that no one wants. It is important that both MRDL and the trades unions should continue to seek an early negotiated settlement.”

Metrolink staff have gone on strike only once before in the network's history. That was in 2004, when industrial action was over members of union ASLEF wanting to be recognised alongside Unite. At that time, drivers were employed by Cerco. All office staff were trained as drivers so they were able to step in to keep the tram network fully operational. This will not be the case during another strike now that the network and staff numbers have doubled in size.

Information on how your Metrolink journey is affected during the day of strike action can be found by visiting www.metrolink.co.uk , calling customer services on 0161 205 2000 or following Metrolink’s twitter account @MCRMetrolink