Quizmas: Christmas Quiz in Support of the Fast Food Strikes
Throughout the last year a key focus of Hornsey and Wood Green Young Labour’s campaigning has been informal and insecure work. Last year the Trades Union Congress (TUC) estimated that as many as 3.2 million workers face insecurity in work.
Although this has been sold by Conservative governments as a desirable movement from out-dated forms of employment towards digitally-enabled flexible lifestyles, this rhetoric frequently works as little more than a cynical cover for the continual encroachment on workers’ rights as companies are able to hire, fire and organise their workforce solely on the basis of what is best for their profit margins.
A recent movement at the forefront of resisting exploitative work practices has been the Fast Food Rights Campaign, made up of workers from major outlets including McDonald’s, TGI Fridays and Wetherspoons. To bring further attention to this issue, and to raise funds for those striking, Hornsey and Wood Green Young Labour organised a Christmas Quiz. This took place at the Boogaloo pub in Highgate and was a great event, with a special socialist round for anyone who got further than page five of Kapital.
Although debating the ins and outs of left-wing politics in a warm pub was both informative and very Christmasy, the highlights were the speakers between rounds. The first speakers we heard from were Natalie Fairchild and Lauren Townsend, both employees at TGI Fridays, and also, in the latter case, a member of, and employee of, Unite. They described the difficulties they have faced, what they hope to achieve and how we can help. One small but telling anecdote described how ‘pay-and-a-half’ on Christmas day and New Years Eve has been gradually eroded with many workers having little choice but to miss these days with their families, despite receiving no extra remuneration (their petition for fair pay over Christmas can be found here).
Thanks to their activism, these infringements on previously normal rights are being won back. One important campaign which achieved partial success was the agreement that workers at TGIs should be paid for time spent revising for frequent in-house tests; they have now won a year of back-pay. This is clearly not enough for long-term workers but it is a key step forward. The most important message was that unionisation is essential to achieving decent, safe workers’ rights. Although continually slated by the press, unions continue to be an essential vehicle in the reclamation of fixed-hour contracts, sick-pay and wider workplace rights.
This message was supported by the next speaker Daniel Stone, a serving Labour Councillor. Until recently, Daniel was the Treasurer of the United Voices of the World (UVW), a members-led, campaigning trade union which supports and empowers the most vulnerable groups of precarious, low-paid and predominantly migrant workers in the UK. He described the development of this group, emphasising the importance of acting in solidarity with striking workers and recounting recent victories, not least in successfully campaigning for a pay rise for cleaning staff at The Daily Mail. For anyone wanting to get involved, he also mentioned the upcoming strike action with Public and Commercial Services Union at the Ministry of Justice and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 22nd — 24th January (follow our Twitter for more info closer to the time).
Finally, the Assistant Chief of Staff from Unite Adrian Weir reiterated the importance of joining a union and underlined the vital role that the Labour Party must play in the reinvigoration of unions nationally.
In total, aside from having a heart-warming Christmas get-together, we raised £165.40 for the strike fund for the Fast Food strikers. This will be split between the TGI Friday Unite and McStrike Funds, and the Spoons Bakers Union. We’d really recommend anyone who wanted to get involved make a donation here to the Bakers Union.
Hornsey and Wood Green Young Labour will continue running campaigns against insecure work throughout this year so come along soon — you can find details of our next meeting on Facebook.
