Employees from across 450 branches are taking legal action against McDonald’s following harassment and misconduct allegations.
Following a year-long BBC investigation, over 700 former and current McDonald’s workers have come forward to report incidents of sexual abuse, improper behaviour, and bullying from company management.
McDonald’s UK CEO Alistair Macrow appeared in front of the business and trade committee on Tuesday to answer questions about the allegations.
Macrow defended McDonald’s position by claiming the cases were “isolated incidents that must be driven out of [the] business” rather than a systematic issue.
The claimants, young workers up to 19 years of age, have instructed legal firm Leigh Day to take action on their behalf.
The legal firm claims the fast food giant may has acted unlawfully “by not taking appropriate and necessary steps to ensure a safe working environment for their younger employees”, according to Leigh Day’s employment team staff member Kiran Daurka.
“Young crew members, many of whom will be in their first job, are unlikely to know what steps to take when they feel physically or psychologically unsafe at work,” added Daurka.
The chain has been accused of being a “predator’s paradise” by chair of the business and trade committee Liam Byrne.
Director in the employment team at law firm Foot Anstey, Nathalie Ingles, said McDonald’s reputation for protecting its staff was “in tatters” after Byrne’s accusations and is a reflection on the risks of the chain’s franchise model.
“This news follows the worrying rising trend of harassment in the retail and consumer sector, with our research into the topic revealing the shocking statistic that nearly two-thirds of workers have experienced offensive behaviour”, said Ingles.
“The franchise model introduces complications to this issue both in terms of ensuring a consistent approach to culture, values and management but also in terms of each franchisor being able to protect its own brand and reputation in the wake of allegations of this sort.
“This, however, only strengthens the need for organisations to take swift action to tackle issues head-on when they arise.”
A McDonald’s spokesperson said any incident was “subject to rapid and thorough investigation and action” and there was a “relentless focus on eliminating all forms of harassment at McDonald’s”.
“Ensuring the people that work in McDonald’s restaurants are safe is the most important responsibility for both us and our franchisees, and we have undertaken extensive work over the last year to ensure we have industry-leading practices in place to support this priority.”
McDonald’s is one of the largest private employers in the UK, employing over 168,000 members of staff across the country.
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