The Equality and Human Rights Commission has sent a letter to all McDonald’s restaurants to remind them of their duties to protect workers
Owners of every McDonald’s in Britain have been warned they could face legal action if they fail to protect staff from sexual abuse.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has written too all operators telling them they must comply with their legal duties, or risk enforcement action. It follows an investigation that uncovered claims of a toxic culture of sexual assault and harassment. In January, workers told the BBC they still faced sexual harassment more than a year after its chief executive promised to clean up behaviour at the fast-food chain.
A current employee told the Mirror at the time they would urge other young people to “think very carefully” before taking a job there. Law firm Leigh Day said more than 750 workers had come forward with claims following the fresh allegations. The EHRC entered into a legally binding agreement with McDonald’s in February 2023 to prevent sexual harassment in its restaurants. But franchisees that run the bulk of the chain’s 1,4000 restaurants were not covered by this agreement.
In its latest letter, seen by the BBC, the EHRC said all businesses in Britain, small or large, must comply with the Equality Act. ‘’It is your duty to ensure that any anti-discrimination and harassment measures you currently have in place are effective, and to take any necessary steps to protect your workers,” EHRC chief executive John Kirkpatrick wrote to restaurants.
Mr Kirkpatrick told the BBC’s Today programme that the letter was a “starting point”. He added. “If it’s not proving successful, we can investigate further. If we can find legal robust evidence of breaches of the law then we can impose an action plan on them and if they don’t follow that, a court can impose fines on them.”
In a statement, a McDonald’s spokesperson said the agreement with the EHRC was signed “with the intention that it continues to evolve to ensure the robust measures we have in place are aligned with any updated guidance”. The letter, it went on, was “to remind our franchisees of their legal obligations to provide a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace for their employees – which is the same legal requirement of all employers.”
The statement added: “We are confident that the plan we have in place is working and making a difference to the near 170,000 people currently employed by McDonald’s and our franchisees across McDonald’s in the UK & Ireland today.”
