Staff working in a popular Croydon pub chain are calling for their employer to pay the London living wage.

Antic runs 48 pubs throughout London, known for their relaxed atmosphere and shabby-chic decor, three of which are in the Croydon area.

Shelverdine Goathouse (South Norwood), Westow House and Walker Briggs (Crystal Palace) have all opened since 2016 to success, fuelling the growth of the expanding chain.

But bar staff, who are paid minimum wage (£7.83 per hour), feel they are not being rewarded for their contribution, and have formed a campaign calling for their employer to pay the London living wage (£10.20).

A spokesperson for the campaign, who did not want to be named, said: "Antic workers across London have got together and formed this union because of how hard it is to live in London on minimum wage.

"Many of us work two jobs just to get by, while to company has opened new pub after new pub. This expansion has been funded by our hard work and sweat but we have never received a pay rise that wasn't mandated by government.

"The company even expect us to work Christmas and new years for minimum wage as they took away the time and a half policy they used to have.

"The reality for young workers is that we cannot afford to wait for the company to give us what we have earned, we have to come together and demand it off them.

"We hope that the general public will support us in fighting for a wage we can live on and that the customers we serve will ask that the money they spend in the pubs goes towards the staff that serve them."

Supporters of the London living wage, calculated by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, claim it is based on the best available evidence about living standards in London and more accurately reflects the higher cost of housing, childcare and transport needs of workers living in the city.

Antic dictates that managers in each branch put a set percentage of running costs towards wages.

From this amount, managers then have discretion in how they pay individual staff members on site.

Campaigners claim that wages are kept low to ensure high staffing levels and reliable profits.

Anthony Thomas, founder of Antic, said: "We'd be really delighted to speak to the campaign about these issues.

"We pay staff under the age of 25 above the legal minimum for that age group. We also offer our staff a lot of perks which we'd maybe have to take away if we changed the wage structure, such as a free drink every shift.

"Ultimately we can only pay our staff what we can, but we provide for and look after them.

"I really wish they would speak to us, so we can address these concerns."

Mr Thomas added that it is rare for any Antic pubs to be open on Christmas day and that those that do only open for a few hours.

For more information on the campaign visit: https://www.facebook.com/AnticUnion/