Link to this page: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/29850
Posted on 11 September 2019 at 14:24 GMT
McStrikers taking on second biggest employer in world
'McStrikers', mainly young workers, are taking on the second biggest employer in the world, demanding £15 an hour.
Strikers from six south London McDonald's restaurants protested in Wandsworth on the morning of Tuesday, 12 November, and then at Downing Street in freezing rain at lunchtime.
Rob Williams spoke to give solidarity from the National Shop Stewards Network.
Striker Melissa declared: "We've had enough! - of choosing between paying the gas or buying food. Of not being able to buy new shoes for work".
The BFAWU bakers' union said that these brave workers are standing up for low paid and zero hour contract workers across the country.
John McDonnell spoke and pledged support for their £15 an hour claim.
Helen Pattison, London Socialist Party
See also:
McDonald's: 'I'm fighting for £15 an hour now because I have to work from 7am to midnight'
Donate to the Socialist Party
Finance appeal
The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.