TRANSNATIONAL corporations McDonald’s, Wetherspoon and TGI Friday’s may assume they’re capable of riding the current storm of strikes and protest rallies.

They may feel confident that, with the Tory government on their side, the complaints of low-paid workers and their trade unions may be safely ignored.

If so, they should put aside their complacency because Theresa May won’t be prime minister for ever. Nor will her party rule the parliamentary roost in perpetuity.

Labour is now on their case and is no longer the Tory-lite, pro-profits outfit to which New Labour reduced the once-proud mass party of working people.

It is unimaginable, under New Labour, that a memo would be sent to Labour MPs, telling them that they should take their place on picket lines in their constituencies.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell’s statement to the rally in London’s Leicester Square served as a reminder that the Labour Party was created by the trade union movement.

And under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour has ended the practice of keeping unions at arm’s length while embracing corporate bigwigs.

The backing of established unions Unite and bakers’ union BFAWU for the determined struggles by workers in the fast-food and hospitality sectors has encouraged confidence among these low-paid workers on insecure contracts.

They understand that, whereas the conditions and grievances in each sector and company are different, they share two common denominators — they are low-paid and are denied union recognition.

That’s why the collective demand of the workers, whether working for fast-food restaurants or pubs, riding, cleaning, serving or whatever, is uniform — £10 an hour and a union.

Tory Party conference in Birmingham earlier this week devoted no time to discussion of the problems of low-paid, insecure and largely young workers.

Even the small numbers of young people attending the Tory jamboree, mainly from the University of Plymouth Conservative Association, were unconcerned, preferring to draw attention to themselves, with one drawing a Hitler moustache on himself while another wore a “Fuck the NHS” slogan on his T-shirt.

Worthy heirs to the values of their young Tory predecessors who earlier wore badges proclaiming: “Hang Nelson Mandela.”

Few are likely to have to rely on the arduous and ill-paying jobs spotlighted by the workers who went on strike today. It’s a class question.

And their class’s attitudes were apparent in social media responses today, telling strikers that, if they don’t like their jobs, they should leave and find another or, alternatively, start a business to employ other people.

Some approve of low pay as it keeps restaurant meals affordable or claim that waiting on tables isn’t a proper job — merely a short-term option for students or young people living at their parents’ home.

There is no mention of these companies’ profitability, the bloated salaries, share-package bonuses and shareholder dividends as though these are a given, leaving those at the sharp end to scratch around for as much time in work as possible on a zero-hours contract.

Such attitudes speak volumes for the small proportion of the population that commands the lion’s share of national income even though it is low-paid workers whose labour contributes to that wealth.

The more strikes and rallies take place, the more public consciousness will grow and the sooner the arguments of the well-heeled elite are seen for the pernicious contempt towards working people that they are.

Victory to the fast-food and hospitality workers fighting for £10 an hour and a union.