Coronavirus UK Latest: Wetherspoon and McDonald’s Staff Protest Wages | Eater London

"The Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union has singled out this coffeehouse chain as one of the employers it wants to top up by 20% during coronavirus shutdowns, arguing that the government-backed 80% furlough payment leaves many staff on 'poverty wages.' The union emphasizes that the 80% scheme often only applies to directly employed staff at company-owned outlets, meaning other workers remain subject to franchisee or employer policies on pay and hours; it also notes insecure contract patterns—zero-, 8- or 16-hour arrangements—and that a minimum-wage worker averaging 30 hours would receive about £247.89 per week after tax under the scheme." - James Hansen