Spoons Workers Against Brexit group campaigns against pro-Brexit boss
A group claiming to be made up of JD Wetherspoon workers has launched a petition against owner Tim Martin's use of his 1,100 pubs to promote a no-deal Brexit.
The group, called Spoons Workers Against Brexit, is also demanding the Living Wage as well as trade union recognition for the pubco's 37,000 employees.
A vocal supporter of a no-deal Brexit, JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin is touring 100 of his 900 pubs to tell punters about what he believes to be the merits of leaving the EU without a deal on 29 March. On one pub visit he was accompanied by high-profile Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The pubs often have Brexit-themed beer mats, posters and publish the regular magazine, Wetherspoon News, which is available in all outlets
The Spoons Workers Against Brexit launch statement said: "We are Wetherspoon workers and supporters who are disgusted by the way that the company's founder and chairman, Tim Martin, is exploiting his position to promote an extremely damaging no deal Brexit through pubs up and down the country.
"He routinely labels Remain supporters the ‘metropolitan elite'; yet he himself is an incredibly wealthy man, accruing a tidy net wealth of almost £500m in no small part by paying his staff poverty wages."
"We refuse to propagandise for politics that will only do us harm if enacted. Studies have consistently refuted claims that immigration is linked to low wages. Migrants don't drive down wages; but wealthy, exploitative bosses like Tim Martin do.
"We are opposed to Brexit in its entirety and we support allowing the free movement of people so that everyone, regardless of nationality, has the right to live and work here."
In response to the campaign, a JD Wetherspoon spokesman said: "They are entitled to their views. It should be noted that if a member of staff does not wish to put out the magazines, then they don't have to. We have no issue with that.
"The magazine is more than 100 pages in total and the Brexit pages comprise a small number of those.
"Wetherspoon News offers articles for and against Brexit."
The Spoons Workers Against Brexit campaign has already gained thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter following its launch on Sunday 27 January.
