Fast food giant McDonald's is facing legal action from over 700 current and former workers, alleging workplace harassment ranging from bullying to sexual harassment, racism and homophobia. Many of these staff were 19 or younger when incidents occurred.
This new wave of reports follows a 2023 BBC investigation into institutional failures at McDonald's. At the time, spurred by a binding legal agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the fast food chain pledged to improve workplace conditions, setting up a new unit to process the complaints.
Nearly two years on, the EHRC has received a further 300 incident reports concerning sexual harassment, bullying, ableism, racism, and homophobia. Stronger action from the equality watchdog is expected to follow. Meanwhile, hundreds of current and former workers have independently instructed law firm Leigh Day to take action on their behalf.
On Tuesday, Alistair Macrow, CEO of McDonald's UK and Ireland, revealed during a parliamentary hearing that 29 employees have been dismissed over sexual harassment claims in the past year. Questioned by chair Liam Byrne over whether McDonald's had become a ‘predator's paradise’, the burger chain executive maintained that a ‘programme of significant change’ has been successfully implemented and seen positive results. Macrow also denied that the problem was widespread, referring instead to ‘isolated incidents that must be driven out of our business.’
Critics argue that the company's franchise system and heavy reliance on zero-hour contracts may contribute to a power imbalance in the workplace, facilitating sexual harassment.
McDonald's claims to have undertaken ‘extensive work’ to implement industry-leading safety practices. Employees have since reported that the restaurant audits performed by outside consultants, Price Waterhouse Cooper, were rigged. One former employee stated: ‘They were meeting the best employees, hand-plucked from different stores,’ choosing only the people that could be ‘coached on the correct answers’.
Leigh Day claims that McDonald's may have acted unlawfully ‘by not taking appropriate and necessary steps to ensure a safe working environment for their younger employees.’ If successful, the legal action could result in compensation for affected workers.
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