Hundreds of current and former McDonald’s employees – some as young as 19 – have joined a legal action against the fast-food giant over allegations of bullying, sexual abuse and harassment across more than 450 UK outlets.
The complaint, filed through law firm Leigh Day, follows a fresh wave of accusations highlighted by a BBC investigation. The broadcaster reported that workers at McDonald’s faced “unacceptable” conduct despite promises made by the company last year to address such issues.
The developments come as Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald’s in the UK, prepares to testify before the business and trade committee of MPs, who are expected to ask how the fast-food chain has handled the alleged misconduct. McDonald’s, one of Britain’s biggest private sector employers with a workforce of 168,000 and more than 1,400 restaurants, said it had pressed the BBC for details of the reported cases “to allow us to carry out full investigations” but had yet to receive them.
One 19-year-old claimant told Leigh Day he suffered homophobic abuse from managers and fellow staff, with insults including being called a “faggot”. Another claimant said he was bullied over his learning disability and eye condition, and that managers were “touching other staff up” and making racist remarks. Other examples include a young worker being pressured for sex and one manager making offensive references to staff based on their nationality.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it has received about 300 reports of harassment at McDonald’s restaurants since the original BBC investigation. It has escalated its intervention, saying it is working “to update our ongoing legal agreement in light of serious allegations raised by our work with the company, and the BBC investigation”.
McDonald’s insists it is committed to safeguarding staff and has improved its reporting structures, including introducing a digital whistleblowing platform called Red Flags and a dedicated investigations team. It said it had hired its first head of safeguarding and was “confident” it is taking “significant and important steps” towards eliminating abusive behaviour.
Emma Cocker, Senior Associate in the Employment team at Lawrence Stephens Solicitors, commented that workers on zero-hours contracts can feel especially vulnerable. “They are likely fearful of being subjected to detrimental treatment for raising complaints,” she said. “It would appear McDonald’s still has a long way to go in providing a safe working environment. The longer businesses allow this kind of behaviour to persist, the longer the list of grievances and legal claims they will face.”
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McDonald’s faces legal challenge from over 700 workers amid harassment claims
