Trade unions have accused McDonald’s of breaching international labour standards by failing to tackle sexual harassment across its UK restaurants, following allegations that staff, many of them teenagers, have been subjected to repeated abuse at work.
The complaint has now been taken up by an independent government body, which has agreed to offer mediation between unions and the fast-food chain. The move follows an investigation by the BBC that exposed allegations of harassment and inappropriate behaviour in McDonald’s restaurants, including claims involving workers aged 17.
The development places renewed scrutiny on how large employers safeguard younger staff, manage complaints and respond to systemic cultural issues within franchised workforces.
Government body offers mediation after union complaint
The complaint was lodged by a group of five trade unions, including the Bakers Union and trade union body the Trades Union Congress, alongside campaign group the Corporate Justice Coalition. It has been referred to the UK National Contact Point, an independent unit within the Department for Business and Trade responsible for examining complaints under Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines.
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After an initial assessment, the National Contact Point concluded the complaint warranted further consideration and has offered mediation to both parties. The Department for Business and Trade said the decision to accept the complaint was not a finding against McDonald’s and did not mean it believed the company had breached the guidelines.
The unions say their complaint was prompted by the BBC investigation and includes allegations of ongoing gender-based discrimination, repeated incidents of harassment and management failures to intervene.
Investigation revealed widespread allegations
According to reporting by BBC News, McDonald’s workers described a culture in which sexual harassment was allowed to persist, with claims of groping and abuse involving staff as young as 17. The complaint submitted by unions refers to “repeated episodes” of harassment affecting workers, “most of them teenagers”.
Ian Hodson, president of trade union the Bakers Union, said the investigation had exposed serious failings. Speaking to BBC News, he said the accounts were “horrific” and had “helped to shine a light on workplace harassment”.
“The most important thing to me is the workers,” he told the BBC. “Their voices need to be heard. Everyone deserves the right to be safe when they go to work.”
Luise Schroter, senior policy officer at campaign group the Corporate Justice Coalition, also spoke to BBC News, saying harassment at McDonald’s “must end”.
“Workers and their unions are key to ending these systemic abuses and must not be sidelined,” she said.
Lawyers warn of rising legal risk
Legal experts said the latest developments increased pressure on McDonald’s to demonstrate meaningful action, particularly given changes to employment law and ongoing scrutiny of zero-hours arrangements.
Samantha Dickinson, a partner at employment law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, told HRreview the allegations highlighted the need for stronger oversight and accountability at senior level.
“These latest allegations place significant pressure on McDonald’s leadership to demonstrate that it is taking employee safeguarding seriously and accelerate change,” she said. “Where serious concerns persist across franchises, responsibility cannot be deflected and decisive action from business leaders is essential.”
Dickinson said structural reform would be needed to restore trust and prevent further harm.
“Establishing a central compliance team with real enforcement authority across franchises would be a meaningful first step,” she said. “That team must be empowered to act independently, challenge senior management where necessary and ensure concerns are neither minimised nor concealed.”
She added that independent scrutiny would also be required. “Regular, frequent and genuinely independent audits, including random staff interviews would also help drive behavioural change and restore confidence among workers,” she said.
Dickinson said the timing was significant given recent legislative changes.
“With MPs having approved the Employment Rights Bill, including the right to guaranteed hours for workers currently on zero-hours contracts, businesses like McDonald’s will be under increased scrutiny,” she said.
“Zero-hours arrangements can create power imbalances, leaving workers feeling pressured to tolerate inappropriate behaviour for fear of losing shifts or income,” she said. “Moving towards guaranteed-hours contracts would provide greater job security and reduce the leverage that can be misused by managers.”
She warned that the risks of inaction were substantial.
“Failure to act risks not only reputational damage but also legal and financial consequences,” she said. “This is not the first time the company has faced allegations of breaching employee rights, and with the new legal duty to prevent sexual harassment that was introduced in October 2024, decisive action is now a legal and ethical imperative.”
Francesca Wild, a senior associate solicitor at employment law firm Morr & Co, told HRreview the decision by the UK National Contact Point to provide mediation reflected rising expectations around employer responsibility.
“The UK National Contact Point’s decision to offer mediation between McDonald’s and trade unions highlights the growing expectation that employers must take proactive, systemic steps to prevent workplace harassment,” she said.
Wild said the scale of the claims showed why reactive responses were no longer sufficient.
“Allegations of ‘persistent, deeply rooted gender-based discrimination’ and ‘repeated episodes’ of harassment underscore why reactive measures are no longer enough,” she said.
She said employers also needed to prepare for broader liability risks. “Beyond internal misconduct, employers must now also consider their impending extended liability for harassment by third parties, such as customers, contractors or franchise operators,” she said.
Wild said safeguarding needed to be embedded across organisations.
“For employers, the message is clear: protective measures must be embedded into culture, not bolted on after crises,” she said. “That means robust policies, independent reporting channels, timely investigations, and strong managerial training, particularly in dispersed workforces.”
She added that repeated allegations pointed to failures in execution rather than policy intent. “When hundreds of allegations surface despite prior commitments, it indicates gaps in implementation, not just policy.”
Legal action and regulator involvement continues
Following the initial BBC investigation, McDonald’s apologised and said it had set up a new unit to handle complaints. Since then, more than 160 people have approached the BBC with further allegations, while the Equality and Human Rights Commission has received hundreds of reported incidents.
More than 700 current and former junior workers are now taking legal action against the company. Kiran Daurka, an employment partner at law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the claimants, told the BBC that clients accuse McDonald’s of failing to protect them from harassment.
In November, the Equality and Human Rights Commission said McDonald’s had agreed to introduce strengthened sexual harassment training for managers as part of new measures. At the time, McDonald’s said it welcomed the changes and would build on what it described as progress already made.
Responding to the latest development, a McDonald’s spokesperson said the company was aware of the National Contact Point’s initial assessment and continued to engage with the process, adding: “We are reviewing the information and considering next steps.”
