Hospital cleaners, caterers and porters could stage a walk-out in a row over pay and conditions.

Staff employed by private company Sodexo who work at Brighton and Sussex University hospitals NHS Trust are being balloted for industrial action.

The GMB union, which has about 700 Sodexo members at the trust, said the company’s failure to deal with outstanding issues left members with no other choice.

Sodexo’s £15 million a year contract with the trust was cancelled earlier this year by “mutual consent” and hospital bosses are taking services back in-house at the end of July.

The union has accused the company of stalling on negotiations to settle contracts for GMB members for a living wage pay claim.

GMB also wants staff to be re-graded so they will get a pay increase equivalent to a living wage standard.

Regional organiser for the GMB Gary Palmer said: “Sodexo’s whole approach to this contract has been a mess from start to finish here in Brighton.

“They arrived in 2012 with threats of more than 100 redundancies, and they failed to pay staff properly for over six weeks or even at all very shortly after commencing service delivery over the Christmas period.

“Staff have struggled with delivering an acceptable service, regardless of their very hard work, because of the lack of equipment and material shortages through underfunding.

“Since April 2014 a long running pay dispute has gone on where members have been seeking a fair pay rise equivalent to a living wage.

“Sodexo’s failure to deal with this latest matter leaves members no choice other than to take this ultimate step.

“Striking is never an easy choice for those who can least afford to lose the money in the first place but that is exactly what our members have been pushed to decide on in order to simply try and feed their family, pay bills, keep up with paying the rent and try to improve their quality of life.”