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Hundreds of current and former McDonald’s crew members have joined legal action against the fast-food giant after allegations of widespread harassment across its UK restaurants were made public.
After the BBC launched its investigation in February 2023 into the UK McDonald’s franchises, a flurry of allegations were brought forward by employees who worked at the various outlets.
In 2023, thirty-two workers made allegations of sexual assault, and 79 made allegations of sexual harassment. A number of these were allegedly committed by the managers of the establishments.
Now, UK law firm Leigh Day has reportedly been instructed to take legal action on behalf of more than 700 clients aged 19 or younger. Over 450 McDonald’s restaurants have been included in the claims thus far.
According to Leigh Day, a client aged 19 – who still works at one of the McDonald’s establishments – spoke about dealing with homophobic slurs.
“I’ve had to deal with homophobic comments from managers and crew members – I feel as though I can’t speak to any managers about it. My manager said if I can’t deal with it, I should just leave the job. Things said to me shouldn’t be said to anyone, I’ve been called names like ‘faggot’. These comments make me feel really uncomfortable – I hate working there,” the client said.
McDonald’s is one of the largest private sector employers in the UK, with over 170,000 people working in close to 1,500 establishments. Of those workers, three-quarters are between 16 and 25.
Leigh Day said it believed the age of the workers involved in these allegations was a major part of the claims brought forward.
According to the law firm, the workers could be entitled to the claims regardless of whether they have directly experienced harassment, as the various establishments failed to maintain a safe working environment and, therefore, exposed their young staff to unsafe work practices.
The law firm also highlighted other forms of alleged harassment that were brought forward by the workers:
- A young worker was repeatedly pestered for sex.
- A young worker was asked by their manager how many people they had slept with.
- A manager would touch young staff inappropriately on their shifts.
- A manager would prey on young female workers.
- A manager would make racist comments, such as whether staff would steal from the company because of where they were from.
- Managers have made comments about young workers’ disability as being ridiculous.
Speaking on the claims, Paula Lee, a partner in the employment team at Leigh Day, said: “Since the original BBC investigation, more than 700 young McDonald’s employees from across the country have contacted Leigh Day and joined the claim. These continue to grow as more crew members learn that they can also access justice.”
Leigh Day said it believed the claimants could be entitled to compensation if they were successful. According to the firm, they were acting on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, meaning the young clients would not be required to pay legal fees unless compensation was awarded.
In terms of the allegations, Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said in the past: “We will investigate all allegations brought to us, and all proven breaches of our code of conduct will be met with the most severe measures we can legally impose, up to and including dismissal.”
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Harassment is defined as persistent behaviour or acts that intimidate, threaten, or uncomfortably affect other employees at work. Because of anti-discrimination laws and the Fair Work Act of 2009, harassment in Australia is prohibited on the basis of protected characteristics.
Kace O'Neill
Kace O'Neill is a Graduate Journalist for HR Leader. Kace studied Media Communications and Maori studies at the University of Otago, he has a passion for sports and storytelling.
