Staff at McDonald’s restaurants in 10 US cities launched a strike on Tuesday over claims that the fast food giant is not doing as much as it should to prevent sexual harassment. The strike came as a result of 27 complaints made by female staff against the food chain, stating that it failed to ensure that the rules in place against abuse were enforced. The complaints made by the women were allegedly ignored, these complaints include incidents such as indecent exposure, groping and lewd comments.
McDonald’s said there was “no place for harassment” at its restaurants.
The strike was planned to last for one hour around lunch time and targeted multiple restaurants in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami.
Hundreds of cashiers and cooks walked out, protest organisers said. They were joined by other labour activists.
According to McDonald’s, the company has a sexual harassment policy but the protestors, who are backed by the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, want to see that improvements are made.
They say procedures for responding to harassment complaints are inadequate and that all staff should undergo anti-harassment training.
Since 2016, more than two dozen McDonald’s workers have filed complaints with the US National Labor Relations Board, alleging their reports of harassment were ignored, mocked or met with retaliation.
The complaints named both McDonald’s franchisees and the company itself. However, the firm regards its franchisees as independent business owners.
-BBC World News
