On Saturday 4th February, Hull Solidarity Federation and friends picketed Pizza Hut in solidarity with workers from the IWW Pizza Hut Union, in support of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions. The picket started at 11:30, lasting around 2 hours in the freezing cold until we had handed out all 400 of our leaflets. Management came and incorrectly told us that we were not legally allowed to hold a picket outside the restaurant and subsequently called the police. The officers, trailed by a cameraman for an as yet unaired police documentary, informed us that what we were doing was perfectly lawful.
The public were largely sympathetic to our picket, with several groups of people turning away and refusing to eat at Pizza Hut. After a while the manager came outside again to attempt to browbeat one of our members into agreeing that it was not morally right to give leaflets to people who are planning on entering. Clearly they were worried about the effectiveness of the picket on the branch's profits.
We offer our further solidarity to the IWW Pizza Hut Union and to all workers involved in disputes with their bosses. We wish a speedy end to this dispute, and demand that management agree to the demands of the workers, without whom the restaurant could not operate. Only by mutual aid and solidarity can we defend ourselves and better our conditions.