The boss of McDonald’s in the UK says 29 people have been fired over sexual harassment allegations in the past 12 months.
Alistair Macrow also told MPs that the alleged cases published by the BBC on Tuesday were “abhorrent, unacceptable and there is no place for them at McDonald’s”.
It comes after employees at the fast food chain told the BBC they were still facing sexual abuse and harassment, a year after Mr Macrow promised to correct behavior in restaurants.
McDonald’s insisted it had undertaken “extensive work” over the past year to ensure the safety of its workers.
Since the BBC’s initial investigation into the company in July 2023, we have heard 160 allegations of abuse, while the UK’s equality watchdog has heard 300 reported incidents of harassment. She is now considering intervening again.
Liam Byrne, chairman of the business and trade select committee, opened the session with the figures, asking Mr Macrow if McDonald’s had “basically become a predator’s paradise”.
Mr Macrow said he would like to be able to investigate each allegation to understand them and ensure they can take “appropriate action”.
The measures McDonald’s has put in place allow it to offer “a safe and secure workplace where people are respected”, he said, adding that his staff had told him the plan was “working”.
Mr Macrow said people were “speaking out”, adding that 75 allegations of sexual harassment had been made, 47 had been upheld by disciplinary action and 29 people had been fired in the last year.
Mr Macrow was also asked about the issue of zero-hours contracts. In the UK, 89% of McDonald’s employees are on zero-hours contracts.
McDonald’s says workers can choose to move to a guaranteed minimum number of hours. But we spoke to 50 workers across the country who say they weren’t given that choice.
Some workers told the BBC that unsafe hours led to an imbalance of power. Others, however, said zero hours contracts worked well for them.
Mr Byrne asked whether Mr Macrow accepted that this type of “abuse thrives when there is an imbalance of power in the workplace?”
Mr. Macrow responded: “The type of allegations you describe are not widespread.” But he added that they must be eradicated from the sector.
He said he did not want to “downplay” the allegations, but said the majority of incidents referred to the period before a new action plan was implemented.
He insisted flexible contracts were “very popular” with young people and they had the option to move to a guaranteed minimum schedule.
The BBC began investigating working conditions at McDonald’s in February 2023, after the company signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), in which it is committed to protecting its staff against sexual harassment.
After our investigation was published a few months later, McDonald’s apologized and created a new unit to handle complaints.
The EHRC has also set up a dedicated abuse complaints helpline.
The watchdog now says it is taking stronger action against the fast food chain.
McDonald’s said the company has undertaken “extensive work” over the past year to ensure it has industry-leading practices to keep its workers safe.
