Pub Workers of the World, Unite
Workers at Wetherspoons, the British pub chain, were tired of low wages and grueling conditions. So they formed a union, went on strike — and won.
A member of the bar staff pours a pint of beer at the pub chain JD Wetherspoon on January 5, 2009 in Bristol, England. Matt Cardy / Getty Images.
Wetherspoons is a ubiquitous pub chain in the UK. It serves cheap food and drink, but treats its staff shoddily. In Brighton, young workers had enough: risking their precarious low-paid jobs, they formed a union branch in their workplace. Following their first strike, they won higher wages and more accountability.
The #Spoonstrike is part of a wider group of precarious workers organizing in McDonalds, other branches of Wetherspoons, and other chain restaurants. Organizing takes place largely on social media, with WhatsApp used for communication, and Facebook and Twitter deployed to publicize strikes and win outside support that pressures management.
Jacobin’s Dawn Foster spoke with Alex McIntyre, a ‘SpoonStrike organizer and branch secretary at the Bright Helm pub.
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