Every branch in Britain warned over staff sexual abuse

Every McDonald’s in the UK has been warned that its owners can face legal action if they fail to take steps to protect employees from sexual abuse.

Equality Watchdog has written to all 1,400 branches that they should follow their legal duties, or risk enforcement action, later A BBC check Open claims of a toxic culture of sexual harassment and harassment.

In January, McDonald’s workers told us Still faced sexual harassment Its Chief Executive Officer promised to clean the behavior in the fast-food chain.

McDonald’s stated that it is “committed” to all employees to do everything to ensure a safe working environment.

It states: “We believe that the plan we have is working.”

The BBC has asked a current McDonald’s employee, who works for a franchise restaurant in South -West Scotland for a response to the letter. He told us that he hoped that the intervention will make “concrete changes” for people like him.

The 19-year-old activist, whom we are calling Allen, told us that in January, he repeatedly faced “oral misconduct” abusive and humiliation by his colleagues, and “Homophobic Slars”.

Alan still works there. He says that things are not very different and they want to “distance” from it.

The letter of Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which the BBC has seen, “harassed” the allegations in our investigation and said that “frequent events” took place.

Most of McDonald’s restaurants are run by franchisees, which means individual operators have licensed to run outlets and appoint employees.

The EHRC stated that the franchise was not covered with the legally binding agreement recorded with McDonald’s in February 2023 to prevent sexual harassment at its restaurant.

But it said that all businesses, small or large, equality acts in Britain should be followed.

EHRC CEO, John Kirkpatrick said in the restaurant, “It is your duty to ensure that you currently have any discrimination and oppression measures effective, and to take any necessary steps to protect your workers,” EHRC Chief Executive Officer John Kirkpatrick told the restaurant.

The letter has set “appropriate steps” that can take restaurants to prevent sexual harassment.

These include regular risk assessments, ensuring that young and more weak workers are preserved properly and to ensure that complaints are sensitive and effectively dealt with through an installed process.

It states that any franchise restaurant that does not perform its legal duties “can be at risk of enforcement action”.

The EHRC has open statutory enforcement powers for this, including the ability to initiate a formal investigation.

If an organization refuses to repeatedly compliance, the watchdog can carry it through courts, where an unlimited penalty can be issued.

Business and Trade Selection Committee Chairman Liam Bayran said that the BBC’s misuse of McDonald’s misuse was “exposed to misconduct which was completely and completely unacceptable”.

He called the EHRC to convince “Why it is now only writing McDonald’s restaurant about its new duty under the law to prevent sexual harassment, when it came into force about six months ago”.

He said that it was “particularly related because the regulator has known about hundreds of harassment allegations for many years”.

He said: “Parliamentary committees have now found the power of their enforcement disappointing twice. Now it is important that the public is assured that they are at the top of the problem – and not behind the curve.”

In response, Mr. Kirkpatrick said: “We think the best way to achieve improvement is to work with the management teams interested to influence the real change.”

He said: “We can take action on businesses. If we need to do so, we will do this.”

The BBC first started investigating the work status in McDonald’s over two years ago when Fast-Food Chen signed its agreement with EHRC.

In July 2023, We published our preliminary investigationWho reported claims by the workers, some of the age of 17, almost regularly and harassed.

At that time, McDonald’s apologized and established a new unit to deal with complaints.

Since then, more than 160 people have approached the BBC with allegations, while EHRC has heard 300 incidents of harassment.

• A 19 -year -old activist said that the manager would “touch” other members of the employees and some colleagues were afraid of going into work. He left the branch in Midlands last year.
• A worker said that managers improperly touched her and customers sexually assaulted her. When he picked it up, he said he was asked to “suck it”. He quit his job at West Midlands in late 2023.
• A 16 -year -old employee located at West Midlands, who said he was threatened, shouted and sworn in by managers.
• A 20 -year -old who said that a male manager sent his topless photos. He left his McDonald’s branch in the east of England in August.

Earlier this year, we reported that the Watchdog planned to re -intervene, “in light of the serious allegations raised by our work with the company, and the BBC investigation”.

The BBC understands that the action plan would include strengthening the existing measures – including providing more training and surveying the workers – as well as announcing new stages.

McDonald’s boss Alastair Macro in the UK has been called twice in Parliament since our preliminary investigation to answer questions in front of MPs.

In January, he said that 29 people The allegations of sexual harassment were rejected in the last 12 months.

In a statement, a spokesman for McDonald’s stated that the agreement with the EHRC was signed “with the intention that the strong measures we have to ensure have been aligned with any updated guidance”.

It stated that the letter was sent “to remind our franchisees of their legal obligations to provide a safe, respectable and inclusive workplace for their employees – which is the same legal need of all employers,” This “welcomes” any step means that it continues to progress in the field.

It states that with its franchise, it is committed to doing everything to ensure a safe working environment for all employees, with initiatives and measures as part of a cultural action plan.

The spokesperson said, “These tasks include everything from increased training programs and onboarding practices, through the launch of a new digital speech up channel designed with our and our franchise’s restaurant crew,” said the spokesperson.

“We are confident that the plan we have is working and making a difference for 170,000 people employed by McDonald’s and our franchise today in the UK and Ireland in the UK and Ireland.”

He said that its latest anonymous staff survey has revealed that 94% of people are aware of the ways in which they can speak.

If you have been influenced by any issue of this story, it is available through information and support BBC Action Line,

Some names of this story have been replaced to protect identity.