Fast-food workers in global protest to demand higher pay, and union rights

Fast-food workers seeking higher pay have protested around the globe, from Hong Kong to New York, at chains such as McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's amid a broader debate about raising minimum wages.

Actions were called in 150 US cities on Thursday, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and in more than 30 countries including Germany, Japan and Britain as part of a campaign seeking higher wages and the right to unionise.

The Hong Kong protest took place on Thursday at the McDonald's branch at Star House, Tsim Sha Tsui. About 25 protesters collected 200 signatures for a petition demanding higher pay for workers and handed them to a McDonald's representative.

The worldwide demonstrations were backed by the worker-advocacy group Fast Food Forward and the Service Employees International Union, which represents more than two million members.

"Workers have sparked a conversation about income inequality and do we want to stand by these companies who employ mostly women with children and are pushing them into poverty," Kendall Fells, organising director at the New York chapter of Fast Food Forward, said outside Domino's Pizza in Times Square.

A protest there drew about 200 people and lasted about half an hour. Workers chanted and marched before police asked them to move.