Workers at Wetherspoon pubs yesterday launched a petition against owner Tim Martin’s use of his 1,100 pubs to promote a no-deal Brexit.

A group called Spoons Workers Against Brexit is also demanding the Living Wage and trade union recognition for the firm’s 37,000 employees.

Multi-millionaire Tim Martin is one of the most high-profile businessmen in Britain, appearing on Question Time and other TV programmes, and often has spoken of his desire for a no-deal Brexit.

JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin speaking at a Leave Means Leave rally (Picture: PA)

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 £500,000,000 in no small part by paying his staff poverty wages.

‘To add insult, he forces staff members to distribute propaganda in favour of a hard Brexit – something which would drive down our working conditions and living standards even further.’

The Spoons Workers Against Brexit logo revealed yesterday (Picture: SpoonsWorkers/Twitter)

The statement added: ‘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.’

Spoons Workers Against Brexit has already gained thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter with workers and ex-staff supporting the petition.

The Spoons Workers Against Brexit demands Withdraw all pro-Brexit propaganda from our workplace. This means that we will no longer be marked down for refusing to distribute beer mats, leaflets, magazines or menus that promote Martin’s politics. Pay us a Living Wage. That means a £9 hourly rate outside London, and £10.55 in London. Trade union recognition, granting the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union negotiating powers over our pay and pay and working conditions.

Martin is currently undertaking a huge tour of his pubs across Britain and talking to customers about Brexit, he was accompanied to one pub 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.

Responding to the launch of Spoons Workers Against Brexit, JD Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon told metro.co.uk: ‘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.’

Jacob Rees-Mogg and Tim Martin at a Wetherspoons pub in Somerset (Picture: Getty)

An employee holds of a pint of ale above beer mats arguing for a Brexit at The Knights Templar pub (Picture: Bloomberg)

He added: ‘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 petition (Picture: SWAB)

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