Tamás Barna could not have known six months ago that his move to England from Hungary to find work would result in a public showdown with one of the world’s best-known fast-food businesses.

In February, the 26-year-old left his home town of Szekszárd with his brother Szabolcs and four friends because of a lack of work. Another friend had just returned from England, reporting that there was decent work available.

The idea was to earn enough money to send some back home. The group split up, although Mr Barna and his brother stayed together and spent a week training in Wolverhampton with Domino’s Pizza before beginning work in Derby.

“When the job started, we had to live in Burton-on-Trent and work in Derby. It was a half-hour drive. There were eight of us living in one house with no hot water and no heating. We had to pay £50 a week each for our lodging, which was taken out of our wages. We were paid £5.35 an hour. Altogether, we made about £300 a fortnight, or about £150 a week. We didn’t starve, but we weren’t living well, we were just getting by on the basics. Worst of all, we couldn’t send any money back to our families.”

Mr Barna says the two had trouble getting official documents. The Domino’s Pizza franchise-holder says that is the responsibility of the employees and is the reason why Mr Barna and several colleagues were eventually sacked. The dismissals came after a brief spell living in Derby, where conditions were better, he says, with only six to a flat.

After being introduced to Unite by an English friend, Mr Barna is about to be at the centre of one of the union’s biggest battles over the treatment of migrant workers in the UK. He is not bitter. “I’d be happy to stay and work in England,” he says. “I like it here. I just need to earn enough to be able to send money back home.”