McDonald’s sack 29 staff in UK amid claims company is a ‘hotbed of harassment’
McDonald’s has been branded a ‘hotbed of harassment’ as the fast food chain faced fresh abuse accusations.
Some 300 incidents – including inappropriate touching by managers – have been reported in the last year.
More than 700 current and former employees are now taking legal action.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The chain’s UK boss Alistair Macrow, who said the new allegations were ‘abhorrent’, was grilled by the Commons business committee after a BBC investigation in the UK found sexual harassment and bullying of workers.
Committee chairman Liam Byrne said: “There is a clear pattern of abuse here that suggests that McDonald’s has become a hotbed of harassment.”
Mr Macrow said 75 harassment allegations have been made to McDonald’s internal hotline over the past 12 months.
Of those, 47 claims were upheld and 29 staff members were sacked. But he admitted he could not promise that the company would ever be free of harassment. He told MPs the problems were “not widespread”.
More than 450 McDonald’s restaurants have been implicated in the scandal so far.
Leigh Day, the law firm representing employees, said among the claims it had received was one of a young worker being repeatedly pestered for sex.
A McDonald’s spokesman said the chain had done ‘extensive work’ to make its workplaces safer.
