McDonald’s: What are the allegations against ‘predator’s paradise’ burger chain as workers take legal action
More than 450 branches are implicated in legal action taken by more than 700 McDonald’s workers
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Your support makes all the difference.More than 700 UK McDonald’s workers have joined legal action against the fast-food giant after allegations of widespread sexual abuse and harassment.
More than 450 McDonald’s outlets in Britain are implicated in the action, which has seen hundreds of current and former workers instruct law firm Leigh Day to take action on their behalf. Some are as young as 19.
Many of the new complainants have come forward in the year following an investigation by the BBC into institutional issues at the fast food chain. On Tuesday, the broadcaster claimed that workers are still facing issues of abuse and harassment, despite a pledge to address concerns first raised in 2023.
The fast food chain signed a legal agreement with the EHRC in 2023 to protect staff from sexual harassment, with 300 cases reported to the equality watchdog. Responding the the BBC’s investigation, the body says it has stepped up its investigation into McDonald’s.
UK McDonald’s boss, Alistair Macrow faced MPs on the business and trade committee on Tuesday, where he was questioned by chair Liam Byrne. Detailing the scale of allegations against the chain, the Labour asked Mr Macrow if McDonald’s had become a “predator’s paradise.”
The fast-food executive responded that a “programme of significant change” has been put in place which has seen standards improve across the business. However, Mr Byrne responds that it sounds like the initiatives had “failed.”
Mr Macrow also refused to accept that the issues highlighted are widespread, but instead “isolated incidents that must be driven out of our business.”
McDonald’s is one of the largest private sector employers in the UK, with 168,000 people working at over 1,400 restaurants.
Here’s everything you need to know about the allegations against the chain:
What are the allegations against McDonald’s?
Leigh Day says that McDonald’s may have acted unlawfully “by not taking appropriate and necessary steps to ensure a safe working environment for their younger employees.”
This inaction is likely to have made them vulnerable to discrimination or harassment, the law firm adds. Information provided by the firm says even staff who have not personally experienced harassment could be entitled to claim, due to being exposed to “unsafe work practices.”
One 19-year-old employee called Matt told the recent BBC investigation that his colleagues were scared of going to work and that managers would “touch up” some staff.
Another former worker, who was identified as Claire, said a shift manager asked her for sex in exchange for extra shifts. She was 17 at the time and he was in his 30s, the former worker said.
Another man, 19, who is currently working at a branch of McDonald’s, said: “I’ve had to deal with homophobic comments from managers and crew members – I feel as though I can’t speak to any managers about it. My manager said if I can’t deal with it, I should just leave the job.
“Things said to me shouldn’t be said to anyone, I’ve been called names like ‘f****t’. These comments make me feel really uncomfortable – I hate working there.”
A McDonald’s spokesperson said the chain had done “extensive work” to make its workplaces safer.
“Any incident of misconduct and harassment is unacceptable and subject to rapid and thorough investigation and action,” they said.
They added that the company had set up a dedicated team to tackle the problem, which has “already rolled out company-wide programmes to improve safeguarding, drive awareness and enhance training”.
“We are confident that we are taking significant and important steps to tackle the unacceptable behaviours facing every organisation.”
A recent anonymous employee survey showed that 92 per cent of its workers are “now comfortable speaking up”, they said. The company said it offers its employees the choice of zero-hours or guaranteed hours contracts.