More than 700 McDonald’s junior crew members join legal action against fast-food giant over allegations of widespread 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 examples of harassment include:

• 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 

Leigh Day believes that junior crew members and staff at McDonald’s could be entitled to bring claims, regardless of whether they have directly experienced harassment, because they could have been exposed to unsafe work practices which may have enabled a culture of inappropriate and unlawful conduct towards McDonald's young and less experienced staff.

Any current McDonald’s staff aged under 20 may be eligible to join the legal action. The claim is also open to those who experienced harassment, directly or indirectly, left McDonald’s after July 2019, and were under 20 at the time of leaving.

If the claim is successful, Leigh Day believes claimants could be entitled to compensation. The firm is acting on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis which means clients do not have to pay any legal fees unless compensation is awarded and they stick to the terms of the agreement.

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."