Fri, 14 Mar 2025

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 Exclusive: Every McDonald's in Britain warned of legal action over failing to tackle staff sex abuse

The warning from the UK's equality watchdog comes after the "extremely serious" allegations uncovered by the BBC.

* The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has written to all 1,400 McDonald's branches in Britain warning them that their owners could face legal action if they fail to protect staff from sexual abuse.
* The letter is a response to a BBC investigation which uncovered claims of a toxic culture of sexual assault and harassment at the fast-food chain.
* The EHRC says that franchises, which run most McDonald's restaurants, are not covered by a legally binding agreement signed with McDonald's in 2023 to prevent sexual harassment.
* However, all businesses in Britain, including franchises, must comply with the Equality Act, which requires them to take steps to prevent harassment and protect vulnerable workers.
* The EHRC has set out "reasonable steps" that restaurants could take to prevent sexual harassment, including regular risk assessments and ensuring complaints are dealt with sensitively and effectively.
* Franchise restaurants that fail to comply with their legal duties may be at risk of enforcement action, which could include fines or court proceedings.
* A McDonald's employee who spoke to the BBC said he hoped the intervention would lead to "concrete change" for people like him, but expressed concerns that things were not much different on the ground.
* The EHRC has a range of statutory powers available to it to enforce compliance with the Equality Act, including launching formal investigations and taking organisations through the courts.
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