McDonald's workers have won their fight for a pay rise after striking for the first time in the company's history.

The fast-food chain is introducing new pay rates at company-owned restaurants which will see some restaurant staff aged over 25 paid up to £10-an-hour.

Workers from the Crayford branch were the first to walk out.

Speaking at the time, Lewis Baker, 27, told News Shopper: "We were striking to get our voices heard. Forming the union and coming together was a way for us to do that.

"The reception has been amazing. We had around 150 people support us outside our store.

"We just hope that McDonald's recognise the union because it is not a nice place to work. We want them to hear what we are saying."

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union launched its McStrike campaign amid a dispute over pay and conditions that saw the restaurant's first walkout in September.

Around 15 per cent of McDonald's restaurants in the UK are owned by the company,including Cambridge and Crayford, with the rest franchisees that set their own pay rates.

The union said McDonald's had also failed to end its use of zero-hour contracts despite promising to, while workers were also having to live on low wages.

Strike organisor and McDonald's employee Steve Day told News Shopper: "This shows our strike worked, and that is exciting. It shows what we can achieve with the little we had, which is exciting for the future. 

"We gladly accpet the rise, but there can be more done."

McDonald's has told employees at its company-owned restaurants that they will be paid the new rates from January 22.

The new pay rates range from a minimum of £5.75-an-hour for "crew" aged between 16 and 17 up to £10-an-hour for crew aged over 25 between the hours of 6am and 12pm.

Staff who work outside this period will be paid an extra pound an hour.

A McDonald's spokesman said: "Our people are at the heart of our business and, as a responsible and proud employer, we are committed to investing in them.

"Reward and recognition for our people and their contribution is a key priority, and to ensure we can attract and retain the best people, we regularly review pay and benefits.

"While our franchisees set their own pay rates, we have recommended an increase across all age bands for our hourly employees to be implemented from 22 January.

"From kitchen to counter to front of house, our success would not be possible without the hard work of our people, so we will keep working hard to do right by them."