Law firm Leigh Day announced today that more than 700 young employees are suing McDonald’s UK following the media’s 2023 exposure of prevalent harassment claims.
Leigh Day is suing the US fast-food empire for compensation on behalf of current and former McDonald’s employees who worked there when they were under 20.
According to a press statement from the law firm, “Clients have described experiences of discrimination, homophobia, racism, ableism, and harassment,” citing over 450 eateries as parties.
It comes after a July 2023 BBC report that featured the accounts of individuals impacted.
With some 170,000 employees, including many teens, the fast-food company is one of the biggest employers in Britain.
“Any incident of misconduct and harassment is unacceptable and subject to rapid and thorough investigation and action,” a McDonald’s spokesman said today.
The fast-food company claimed to have used an internet platform to give “employees in all company-owned and franchised restaurants the opportunity to speak up confidentially.”
In November 2023, McDonald’s UK and Ireland CEO Alistair Macrow told a parliamentary committee that he was “absolutely determined to root out any of these behaviors.”
Unions told the same parliamentary committee that although McDonald’s UK established a specialized team to investigate the claims, the situation had not improved.
British MPs will examine Macrow today on the distinct subject of job rights.
A 19-year-old anonymous employee stated, “I have 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,” he added.
According to the law company, a manager was accused of inappropriately touching young employees while they were on duty. Another young employee claimed to have been harassed for sex on multiple occasions.
In 2019, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union filed harassment allegations against McDonald’s UK. Alleging that over 1,000 female employees had experienced sexual harassment and abuse.
