Hundreds of current and former McDonald’s employees – some as young as 19 – have joined legal action against the fast food giant over allegations of bullying, sexual assault and harassment across more than 450 outlets in the UK.
The complaint, filed through law firm Leigh Day, follows a new wave of accusations highlighted by a BBC investigation. The radio reported that McDonald’s workers faced “unacceptable” behavior despite promises made by the company last year to address such problems.
The developments come as Alistair McCraw, McDonald’s UK chief executive, prepares to give evidence before MPs’ business and trade committee, who are expected to ask how the fast food chain dealt with the alleged misconduct. McDonald’s, one of the largest private sector companies in Britain, with 168,000 employees and more than 1,400 restaurants, said it had asked the BBC for details of the reported cases “to allow us to conduct full investigations” but had not received them. after.
One of the 19-year-old claimants told Leigh Day he had been subjected to homophobic abuse from managers and fellow staff, with insults including calling him a “faggot”. Another plaintiff said he was bullied because of his educational difficulties and eye condition, and that managers were “influencing other employees” and making racist remarks. Other examples include a young worker being pressured into having sex, and a manager making offensive references to employees based on their nationality.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it has received around 300 reports of harassment in McDonald’s restaurants since the original BBC investigation. It has stepped up its intervention, saying it is “updating our ongoing legal agreement in light of the serious allegations raised by our work with the company, and the BBC investigation”.
McDonald’s insists it is committed to protecting employees and has improved its reporting structures, including introducing a digital whistleblowing platform called Red Flags and a dedicated investigations team. It said it had appointed its first head of safeguarding and was “confident” it was taking “big and important steps” towards eliminating abusive behaviour.
Emma Coker, senior associate in the recruitment team at Lawrence Stephens Solicitors, commented that workers on zero-hours contracts can feel particularly vulnerable. “They are likely to be afraid of being subjected to adverse treatment for filing complaints,” she said. “It appears that McDonald’s still has a long way to go in providing a safe work environment. The longer companies allow this type of behavior to continue, the longer the list of grievances and legal claims it will face.
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