A young McDonald’s new starter has claimed she was told to “suck it up” after a manager allegedly demanded sex for shifts.
The fast-food chain has been hit with claims by more than 700 current and former staff members over allegations that senior managers allegedly “preyed on young female workers” while at work.
One ex-worker called Claire, who is using a fake name, was on a zero-horus contract at a West Midlands branch until May 2023 when she was forced to leave her job after she felt uncomfortable with the behaviour. Claire, who was 17 at the time while her boss was in her 30s, claimed her shift manager would demand sex in return for extra shifts, which she refused.
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The fast-food chain has been hit with claims by more than 700 current and former staff members
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Image:
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Claire told the BBC: “You don’t expect that to happen. It was totally inappropriate.” She claims she was told to “suck it up” when she tried to raise her concerns with bosses.
Meanwhile, another ex-worker named Shelby previously stated she was routinely harassed by colleagues. She began working at a branch in Berkshire at the age of 16 when she alleges she was groped. She said: “They’d grope stomach, waists, bums.
“Every shift I worked, there would be at least a comment being made or I’d be brushed, a hand brushed across me, or it would be a more severe thing like having my bum grabbed, hips grabbed.” Shelby also revealed how one fellow worker in his 50s came up behind her at the counter and grabbed her groin. “I just froze”, she said. “I felt disgusted.”
McDonald’s UK chief executive Alistair Macrow gave evidence in front of the Business and Trade Select Committee at the House of Commons on Tuesday following allegations of “sex for shifts.”
It comes just a year after Mr Macrow was forced to apologise over previous staff behaviour in November 2023 as he promised to improve conditions for staff following the allegations.
The fast-food chain brought in outside consultants to audit their restaurants and check on the wellbeing of their staff. A McDonald’s spokesperson said Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) independent site visits “play a crucial role” in assessing each restaurant against specific criteria and ensuring standards are met.
“In the few instances where our expectations have not been met, we have taken prompt corrective action,” the spokesperson said.
“The assessment procedures are under constant review by PwC and were refined early in the programme to ensure that employee interviews – which form part of the assessment – are selected randomly by independent assessors, further safeguarding the integrity of the process.”
Liam Byrne, chair of the Business Select Committee, said the situation was “appalling”. “There is a clear pattern of abuse here that suggests that McDonald’s has become a hotbed of harassment and it’s incredibly serious,” he said.
“And when the boss of McDonald’s came before us last year he promised that he would root out this problem and it’s quite clear that he’s failed.”