A federal judge has been asked to stop Starbucks from meddling in its employees’ union drives and to reinstate seven baristas who were sacked as a result of their organising efforts.

Linda M Leslie, regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Buffalo, New York, filed a petition on Tuesday in US District Court seeking injunctive relief for seven former Starbucks employees who she said were “unlawfully fired for exercising their right to form a union”.