‘Sexual harassment is caused by the very structures in McDonalds’, says Bakers’ general secretary
The Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) has issued a statement cautiously welcoming an ‘intervention’ by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and a statement the ERHC and the McDonalds fast-food chain are preparing to issue on an agreement regarding McDonalds’ ‘poor record’ on ‘rife’ sexual harassment at work.
In 2019, the union worked with the Independent newspaper on an article examining the use by McDonalds of non-disclosure agreements to hide sexual harassment in its branches. The BBC has also released a video on the TikTok social media platform:
Bakers’ general secretary Sarah Woolley said::
It is our understanding that the Equality and Human rights commission and McDonalds are about to release a statement regarding an agreement. Although we do not fully understand the content of this agreement at this stage. We welcome the EHRC’s intervention. However, we would encourage caution in celebrating such an agreement.But sexual harassment is caused by the very structures within McDonalds. When low pay is endemic and working women are expected to live pay cheque to pay cheque, when there’s a culture of cover-up with the use of NDAs, I’m afraid sexual harassment will continue to be an issue in McDonalds.
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