More than 700 clients aged 19 or younger when working at McDonald’s have instructed law firm Leigh Day to take legal action on their behalf, with over 450 McDonald’s restaurants implicated in the claims so far.
The law firm says its clients have described experiences of discrimination, homophobia, racism, ableism, and harassment.
One client is 19 and is currently working at a branch of McDonald’s.He said:
“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.”
Leigh Day client Matt, who left his job at a McDonald’s branch in the Midlands last year, told the BBC he was bullied for having a learning disability and an eye condition. He said he noticed managers and staff being racist to other staff and managers trying to “touch other staff up”.
Other allegations include a young worker was repeatedly pestered for sex, and a young worker who was asked by their manager how many people they had slept with
A manager would touch young staff inappropriately on their shifts , another would prey on young female workers and another manager would make racist comments such as whether staff would steal from the company because of where they were from
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.”
McDonald’s is one of the UK’s largest private sector employers. The fast-food giant has more than 170,000 people working in 1,450 restaurants. Its website states that the average age of its employees is 20 and that it is “one of the biggest providers of first-time jobs in the UK”.
When the allegations broke, McDonald’s said it had “fallen short” and “deeply apologised”, adding that there was “simply no place for harassment, abuse, or discrimination” at the company.
Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald’s UK & Ireland, has previously said: “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.”
