On September 4, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) members at two McDonald’s restaurants in England (Cambridge and Crayford), made history by going on strike.

This was the first time ever in Britain that fast-food workers had taken direct action like this. It was an unbelievably brave stance for a number of reasons.

Firstly, McDonald’s is a huge global corporation and the second largest employer in the world. Indeed, it was McDonald’s which introduced the idea of zero-hours contracts in 1974. Secondly, these workers have put their jobs and livelihoods at great risk by taking on such a corporate monster.

The decision by our members at McDonald’s to withdraw their labour wasn’t taken lightly. The BFAWU’s “Hungry for Justice” campaign has been in existence for quite a number of years now, and we have been slowly but surely chipping away at the likes of McDonald’s, and making a surprising amount of progress in terms of highlighting how fast-food companies operate.

The campaign has been supported by the Labour Party, with a lot of its aims featuring in their 2017 election manifesto.

The BFAWU’s national president Ian Hodson has even attended the European Parliament in Brussels and raised the issue of both McDonald’s alleged tax avoidance and the abysmal way in which it treats its employees.

The BFAWU has also made alliances with members of the successful US campaign “Fight For $15,” whose advice and support has been invaluable.

Sooner or later, there had to be a major breaking point and when staff at Crayford and Cambridge suffered bullying and harassment at McDonald’s on top of actually struggling to live — due to zero-hours contracts and poverty wages — the critical mass was reached and members were balloted.

The situation was summed up perfectly by one of our members and activists in Glasgow who pointed out that the remarkable thing about the McStrike wasn’t that the staff wanted a decent wage or better working conditions, but that the workers are calling out a culture that demeans fast-food workers and says that they are not deserving of a decent wage.

None of us are saying that hospitality and fast-food workers deserve more than anyone else. But we at least deserve to earn enough to live comfortably, after all our bills aren’t getting any cheaper than anyone else’s. So why should we be treated like this?

This whole issue isn’t about left-wing or right-wing politics; it’s not even necessarily about socialism vs capitalism. The McStrike is purely and simply about fair play and a level playing field.

All our McDonald’s members are asking for is a £10-an-hour minimum wage, the right to join a union and guaranteed hours.

The idea that this is an unreasonable request for people working for one of the world’s largest and most profitable corporations in one of the world’s richest economies is an absolute fallacy.

A combination of some great media coverage, political support and the company’s unwillingness to budge has actually raised the stakes in both this dispute and the Hungry For Justice campaign as a whole, as the likes of Burger King and KFC will be watching the outcome with baited breath.

A victory for McDonald’s workers would more than likely lead to fast-food workers from other companies becoming emboldened and taking similar action, if they aren’t planning to do so already.

The fast-food giants would effectively have a revolution on their hands.

We need to ensure that fast-food corporations are not breathing a sigh of relief after this action. Their businesses operate in a multi-billion pound industry; surely those who work in it deserve a better share of the massive wealth they help to create. A good dollop of dignity and respect wouldn’t go amiss either.

As Bruce Springsteen sang: “You can’t start a fire without a spark.” Let us make sure that this large unrepresented group of workers start the fire which was sparked by the brave workers at Cambridge and Crayford.

Mark McHugh is the BFAWU’s North East England and Scotland regional secretary.