The UK boss of McDonald’s tells MPs the fast-food chain faces “one or two” sexual harassment allegations from workers each week, as he pledges to “eradicate” abuse claims.
By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, Business reporter @taaffems
McDonald’s has sacked 18 workers after claims of sexual abuse, racism and bullying, its UK boss has said.
Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, told MPs the company faces “one or two” sexual harassment allegations from workers each week – as he pledged to “eradicate” abuse claims.
Appearing before the Business and Trade Committee, Mr Macrow said testimonies from staff members alleging abuse or harassment at work were “truly horrific and hard to listen to”.
It comes after a raft of sexual abuse, bullying and racism claims from workers were made in July, following a BBC investigation.
In total, more than 400 allegations were made across the organisation in the four months since July, some of which were criminal in nature, Mr Macrow told the committee.
He said 157 reports have already been fully investigated, with 75 resulting in disciplinary action, including a number of sackings.
Some 249 complaints relating to safety and inclusivity in the workplace are still being investigated, he added.
Earlier this month, Law firm Leigh Day said a group legal action had been launched on behalf of a number of employees in relation to assault and harassment allegations.
Mr Macrow said: “We typically would see between 20 and 25 contacts per week, of which one or two are sexual harassment, across the organisation.”
Business and Trade Committee chairman Liam Byrne said the group of MPs “remains concerned about the workplace culture”.
In the summer, McDonald’s launched a programme of independent investigations, audits of its complaints procedure, reviews of its code of conduct and a number of full disciplinary hearings in response to the raft of claims.
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Earlier in the committee session, union bosses said the situation has not improved for workers since McDonald’s launched its investigations.
Ian Hodson, national president of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, told MPs: “The feedback we are getting is that nothing has changed.
“There is a tick-box system that has been put in play, a video about how things are supposed to happen.
“We really welcome the involvement of EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) but what was really lacking is the workers’ involvement in that process.”
Unions also claimed that McDonald’s has a history of using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in response to allegations.
Mr Macrow rejected these claims but admitted to including “confidentiality clauses” where workers leave the company with a settlement agreement.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
