McDonald's terminates 18 employees following BBC inquiry

McDonald's UK has fired 18 workers following a BBC investigation that exposed numerous allegations of harassment within the restaurant chain. Since July, the company has received 407 employee complaints and has investigated 157 of them so far. While some individuals have been dismissed, the UK boss, Alistair Macrow, admitted that he doesn't know how many cases have been referred to the police. The BBC investigation revealed that acts of groping and harassment were taking place regularly, with workers as young as 17 being targeted. Employees described a toxic workplace culture where reports of sexual assault, racism, and bullying were not taken seriously. Macrow informed the Business and Trade Select Committee that McDonald's UK receives between one and two complaints of sexual harassment per week. In response to the initial BBC report, Macrow set up an investigation unit to handle the complaints. However, out of the 400+ complaints received, over half are yet to be fully investigated. Of the 157 cases examined, 17 involved sexual harassment, leading to disciplinary action, while nine related to bullying and one to racial harassment. There are still 27 cases of sexual harassment that need to be investigated. McDonald's is a major private sector employer in the UK, with over 170,000 employees, many of whom are aged 16 to 25 and in their first job. The company operates 1,450 restaurants, with 89% of them being operated by franchisees. Macrow admitted that no franchisees have lost their contracts due to harassment or abuse claims. In a meeting with the Business and Trade Committee, McDonald's UK was questioned about prioritizing profit over protecting its workers. Macrow vehemently denied this, stating that the well-being of their employees is of utmost importance. Over 200 current and former McDonald's workers shared their experiences of sexual abuse and harassment at the fast-food chain with the BBC. Macrow described their testimonies as "truly horrific" and "very difficult to hear." He further acknowledged that some of the complaints received by McDonald's Independent Handling Unit date back to the 1980s and that the more recent cases were investigated more thoroughly. Ian Hodson, national president at the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, also appeared before the committee and described some of the stories shared by McDonald's employees as "absolutely horrific" and stated that such incidents should not occur in the UK in the 21st century. Hodson also criticized the company for not being able to protect its workforce despite its vast profits and global influence.