WASHINGTON: An international group of labour unions said Monday it has filed a complaint against McDonald’s for what it called systematic sexual harassment at the fast-food chain’s restaurants around the world.
“Because McDonald’s has neglected to act to create a safe workplace, the Dutch government should make use of this complaint to empower workers to effectively address the rampant harassment they face under the Golden Arches,” she said. The unions said it was the “first-ever complaint brought to the OECD to take aim at systematic sexual harassment at a multinational company.”The document cites witness testimony of “attempted rape, indecent exposure, groping, and sexual offers.”
In France, it cited a case in which a McDonald’s manager allegedly “installed a cellphone camera in the women’s changing room, and secretly filmed young women changing their clothes.”McDonald’s said in a statement it would review the complaint when it had received it, stressing that the food giant is a “people-first company.
Last year, the firm fired its CEO Steve Easterbrook for having a consensual relationship with a member of staff in violation of company policy. But the complainants hope mediation “could lead to an agreement and a template for McDonald’s operations around the world,” and in particular to allow “workers to bring their own experiences and ideas to the table to help shape policies to combat harassment and gender-based violence.”