McDonald's UK faces harassment lawsuit from over 700 young workers

MORE than 700 young workers have filed a lawsuit against McDonald's UK, alleging harassment, law firm Leigh Day announced on Tuesday.

The claims follow a 2023 media investigation that exposed widespread issues within the company.

The law firm is pursuing compensation for current and former employees who were under the age of 20 while working at McDonald's.

Leigh Day stated in a press release that the allegations involve more than 450 restaurants across the UK.

“Clients have described experiences of discrimination, homophobia, racism, ableism, and harassment,” the law firm said. The lawsuit builds on a BBC investigation in July 2023 that highlighted testimonies from affected employees.

McDonald's, one of the largest employers in Britain with approximately 170,000 staff, has faced significant scrutiny over the allegations. Many of its workers are young, including teenagers.

“These allegations described are abhorrent, unacceptable, and there is no place for them in McDonald's,” Alistair Macrow, CEO of McDonald's UK and Ireland, told MPs on Tuesday during a hearing on employment rights.

Macrow revealed that 29 workers were dismissed over sexual harassment allegations in the past year and stated that the company had created a specialist unit to investigate such cases.

Speaking to a parliamentary committee in November 2023, he said he was “absolutely determined to root out any of these behaviours.”

Despite these measures, unions informed the same committee that the situation has not improved. McDonald's also said it has implemented a confidential online reporting system for employees at both company-owned and franchised restaurants.

A 19-year-old employee quoted in Leigh Day’s statement shared their experience: “I’ve had to deal with homophobic comments from managers and crew members. My manager said if I can’t deal with it, I should just leave the job.”

The law firm also cited other incidents, including one worker being repeatedly pestered for sex and another alleging inappropriate physical contact by a manager during shifts.'

McDonald's faced similar allegations in 2019, when the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union claimed that over 1,000 female employees had experienced sexual harassment and abuse.

(With inputs from AFP)