Saturday 29 March saw BFAWU members and other activists from the Fast Food Rights campaign hit fast food restaurants in 31 towns and cities across the UK to raise the issues of union recognition and wages that workers can live on.
They targetted McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Costa and Subway outlets, with chants of “Fast Food bosses hear us say, workers’ rights and decent pay”, “Zero hours no way” and “Living wage now!” going on megaphones outside while activists went inside to speak to staff and give out leaflets with BFAWU membership forms on the back and explain the campaign’s aims.
In Lewisham, Green Party leader Natalie Bennett joined the protest and spoke about the need to challenge zero hours contracts.
In central London, John McDonnell MP, who initiated the campaign along with BFAWU, Unite the Resistance and Youth Fight for Jobs, NSSN and Disabled People Against Cuts, joined campaigners as they hit the outlets in Leicester Square.
The next organising meeting for the campaign is 28 April, 6pm @ parliament, Port Cullis House.
Already Fast Food Rights has been developing links with union organisers and activists in the US who have led the fast food strikes there that have spread to every city.
Together, we are planning an international day of action on 15 May, where on the day US fast food workers will strike and protests will take place in 30 other countries.
If you’re planning an action in your local area to coordinate with the next national day of action on 15 May, please send details to fastfoodrights@mail.com
If you need any materials sent by the campaign for your local action, please email the request and postal address to fastfoodrights@mail.com. Send us reports of any visits you make to fast food outlets in your locality and how you get on, and make sure and send any details of workers who join the union to the campaign and BFAWU ( ian.hodson@bfawu.org )
You can download PDFs of leaflets and posters for placards to use on this website
Fast Food Rights 