£30 McDonald’s strike video Corbynistas used to target 2million workers
‘Incredible reach’
A VIDeO about the McDonald’s staff strike made by the pro-Corbyn group Momentum for less than £30 has been seen by a quarter of the burger chain’s workers.
Facebook data shows that 25,480 of the burger chain’s 97,000 UK staff have watched the four-minute film.
And it is believed that 2million workers in total have seen it – half of them under the age of 24.
It is the latest example of Momentum’s ability to mobilise its supporters and reach far more youngsters via social media than other political groups.
The Tories spent £1million on social media adverts during their election campaign, most of them attacking Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Despite this, it is believed that Labour’s messages – backed up by Momentum – had far more reach, even though the party had less money to spend. Conservative high command will find it particularly galling that a video costing less than £30 to make could have such a large impact.
Momentum was set up in September 2015, two weeks after Mr Corbyn’s shock victory in the Labour leadership contest.
The video features two McDonald’s workers talking about alleged poor safety standards at the burger chain, particularly in relation to burns caused by hot cooking oil. Interviewed separately, they also spoke of their difficulties with zero-hours contracts, day and night shifts, and irregular breaks.
It comes after workers at two restaurants, one in Cambridge and one in London, staged their first ever UK strike. One employee said of his zero-hours contract: ‘I have no choice but to do exactly as I’m told and never question it, otherwise I might lose the hours and then I’d be out on the streets.’
Momentum said the clip has been watched by more than 2million people, appearing on the Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds of more than 5million.
half the video’s viewers were under 24, according to analysis of Facebook’s data.
emma Rees, Momentum’s national coordinator, said: ‘The incredible reach of the video among McDonald’s workers and the stories they have shared in the comments show how widespread unacceptable working conditions are at McDonald’s but also how powerful social media can be when used to complement traditional workplace organ- ising.’ Around 40 McDonald’s staff from Cambridge and Crayford, South-east London, went on strike on Monday over zero-hours contracts and lack of union recognition. They were addressed by John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, at a rally in Westminster.
Mr Corbyn voiced support at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, asking Theresa May to ‘back the McDonald’s workers’ case for an end to zero-hours contracts and for decent pay’.
The staff are calling for pay to be increased to £10 an hour, up from the minimum wage of £7.50 for those aged 25 and above.
McDonald’s said the strikers represented 0.01 per cent of its work- force, adding that the dispute was related to its internal grievance procedures. In a message at the end of the Momentum video, a McDonald’s spokesman said: ‘health and safety is of paramount importance to us and we place great emphasis on our employees’ safety.’
The shadow chancellor will tomorrow address militant activists to call for strikes to ‘get the Tories out’. Mr McDonnell will demand a national wave of industrial action to force Theresa May to increase public sector pay at a rally outside the Trades Union Congress.
It comes just days after Mr McDonnell accused the Prime Minister of ‘ provoking’ public sector workers into taking strike action.
The protest, organised by the farleft National Shop Stewards Network, has been organised under the banner, ‘Fight together to scrap the 1 per cent pay cap and get the Tories out.’
But economists have warned scrapping the cap would cost up to £7billion a year.