As more than 700 teenagers sue McDonald's over harassment claims, a leading legal expert has slammed the fast food giant for its "abhorrent abuse of power". The workers who were 19 or younger when working at McDonald’s have instructed lawyers to take on the company, accusing them of discrimination, homophobia, racism, ableism and harassment - with some teens claiming they were asked for sexual favours by their managers in exchange for shifts. Now McDonald's lack of action has been called out.
"McDonald’s needs to stop paying lip service and start actually doing something to prevent this. How can these young people have been let down so greatly? Why have they not been shielded from such an abhorrent abuse of power?" asks Thomas Beale, the Head of the Bullying & Harassment team at Bolt Burdon Kemp. "McDonald’s was made aware of sexual harassment claims last year, and vowed to do something about it. But actions speak louder than words, and McDonald’s' response – or lack thereof – to the problem is shameful.
"It is extremely disappointing to hear that McDonald’s has once again fallen short of its commitments to the EHRC and its staff. It is completely unacceptable that such little progress has been made, and it is time to hold the company accountable for its blatant failures. And it is deeply disturbing that junior employees are subjected to sexual misconduct at the hands of managerial staff. This is a clear abuse of power, and is evidently not being adequately addressed within McDonald’s. It is imperative that the company is held accountable for the horrendous treatment of its staff.".
