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Heathrow Express staff will walk out for 24 hours from midday tomorrow, with further action planned on Saturday.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union is campaigning against £6 million of cuts which it warned will hit jobs, pay and conditions.

A service between Heathrow Airport and London despite the strike and bosses warned that industrial action made job losses more likely.

Angry: Staff at Heathrow Express will walk out over massive cuts which unions say will hit jobs, pay and working conditions

Managing director Keith Greenfield said: 'Our high-speed link to Heathrow will once more run at its usual frequency - every 15 minutes - despite only a third of our workforce being available.

'We are carrying on almost as normal. We recommend our customers do likewise.

'Since February we have been crystal clear: our proposals enable us to save £6 million over the next five years without any job losses - provided costs are not driven up by repeated strikes.

'As I said last week, the strikes planned for this week will make it difficult to avoid the need for job losses. This is not what we want.

'While the RMT leadership does not seem to care about its members' futures, I do. For that reason I would ask each and every RMT member planning to strike this week to reconsider.'

Mr Greenfield will again be among head office staff standing in as ticket inspectors and customer service representatives during this week's walkouts.

Skeleton staff: The service will run as usual but with head office taking on the extra duties

RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said: 'Heathrow Express sabotaged talks aimed at resolving this dispute and have now issued the most outrageous and provocative blanket threat to start sacking staff if they don't call off the fight for jobs and safety on this lucrative and prestigious transport link.

'The atmosphere has been poisoned at Heathrow Express by an aggressive and bullying anti-union management and it is about time that the airport authorities woke up to what's happening on their turf and the damage that it is doing to Heathrow's reputation.

'The Heathrow Express staff provide an essential service out to one of the world's busiest airports and yet the company have resorted to treating them like dirt. It is an outrage that exposes this company for the anti-union, greedy and callous bunch that they are.'