Yahoo Finance McDonald's workers get 'biggest pay rise in 10 years' after striking
McDonald’s workers have won their “biggest pay rise in 10 years” with some staff getting £10 an hour.
The move – for some restaurant staff aged over 25 – follows the first UK strikes staged in the company’s history.
McDonald’s has confirmed the new rates of pay ranged from £5.75 to £7 for a crew member aged 16-17; £8 to £10 for a crew member aged 25 and over; and £9.50 and £11.75 for a shift-running floor manager.
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The new rates come into effect from January 22. McDonald’s has told employees at its company-owned restaurants that they will be paid the new rates from January 22.
Congratulations to McDonald’s workers and @BFAWU1 for winning pay rises but the fight for £10 an hour is not over. We achieve more together than we can alone, which is why we should all join a trade union.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 3, 2018
Around 15% of McDonald’s restaurants in the UK are owned by the company, with the rest franchisees that set their own pay rates.
The move comes three months after employees at two McDonald’s restaurants walked out over pay and conditions – the first-ever strike to hit the fast food giant in Britain.
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Staff at the branches in Cambridge and Crayford, south-east London, had voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, demanding more secure working patterns and a wage of at least £10 an hour.
One anonymous worker said in a Facebook post: “WE WON THIS. Biggest pay rise for 10 years! If 0.001% going on strike can win this imagine what more can do!”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn praised the McDonald’s workers who took action, organised by the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU).
He wrote on Twitter: “Congratulations to McDonald’s workers and @BFAWU1 for winning pay rises but the fight for £10 an hour is not over. We achieve more together than we can alone, which is why we should all join a trade union.”
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A McDonald’s spokesman said: “Our people are at the heart of our business and, as a responsible and proud employer, we are committed to investing in them.
“Reward and recognition for our people and their contribution is a key priority, and to ensure we can attract and retain the best people, we regularly review pay and benefits.”
The spokesman said that while franchisees set their own pay rates, the company has recommended an increase across all age bands for its hourly employees to be implemented.
He added: “From kitchen to counter to front of house, our success would not be possible without the hard work of our people, so we will keep working hard to do right by them.”
