WORKERS at a Papa John’s pizza franchise in Sheffield have claimed victory after they picketed to reclaim two months’ back-pay at the weekend.

The former franchisee of the Ecclesall Road branch shut up shop and disappeared without notice in June, leaving the workers locked out and owed money. Some faced being unable to pay essential bills, including for rent and food.

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union (BFAWU) members mounted a protest outside the restaurant, which has been taken over by a new franchisee, on Saturday.

The union said yesterday that the new operator has agreed to meet with union reps today — and has promised that the workers will be paid what they are owed.

BFAWU president Ian Hodson said: “Papa John’s states on its website: ‘People Are Priority Always (Papa).’

“This is a hollow statement when these workers were willing to put themselves and their families at risk by working during lockdown, and Papa John’s repaid them by not paying them!

“As a result of [Saturday’s] action, the current franchise owner has agreed to meet the union to resolve the issue and pay what is owed. He has given us an assurance.”

The workers say that some staff did not receive the statutory minimum wage under the former franchisee.

Their protest was backed by the Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise campaign, the Sheffield Trades Union Council and community activists. Among them was the Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, Olivia Blake.

A Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise statement said that the picket would return if workers are not paid today, adding: “When we fight, we win!”

Sheffield’s workers suffer the worst pay of any British city, leading campaigners to dub it the country’s “low-pay capital.”

Karen Cabajar, a former Papa John’s worker and a BFAWU member, said of the action: “I really thought that we would just have to move on and forget about what happened.

“It feels so reassuring to come together with my co-workers, with the support of the union and wider Sheffield community.

“It is important for workers and employers across Sheffield to see this action so that they know that it is unacceptable to treat workers this way and there will always be consequences.”

The Labour MP for Sheffield Central, Paul Blomfield, said: “The Covid crisis has highlighted the exploitation facing too many workers, particularly in the food and drink sector.

“As we look to the future, people expect things to change — and they must. Companies like Papa John’s must treat their staff fairly.”

Campaigners said that the incident mirrored the situation in Leicester, where factories providing clothing for online retailers have inflicted shocking injustices on workers, paying wages as low as £3 an hour and providing no protection from the coronavirus.

Dr Bob Jeffrey, a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University who has produced a report on the city’s low wages, said: “The situation faced by these workers at Papa John’s is emblematic of the wider conditions faced by low-paid and precarious workers that we document in our report. 

“Labour market deregulation, a lack of enforceable employment rights and the absence of trade unions gives unscrupulous employers a blank cheque to withhold legal entitlements to breaks, fail to follow health and safety rules, even fail to provide toilet access, or just plain and simple illegal non-payment of wages owed.”

The Papa John’s franchise could not be reached for comment.

Sheffield Needs A Pay Rise can be contacted on Facebook, on Twitter @SheffPayRise, or by email: [email protected].