Illegal contracts, exhausted employees, aggressive management: « Cash Investigation » reveals the dark side of MacDonald’s

It is a giant established throughout our territory, which Elise Lucet and her teams of « Cash Investigation » wanted to tackle in the issue broadcast this Thursday, April 7. With its 1,400 restaurants and two million meals sold every day in France, the brand is almost part of the French landscape.

But this fast-food behemoth, which accounts for many jobs in the country, also has a dark side. Zoé de Bussière’s investigation covers all facets, from contracts to working conditions, including the considerable marketing tools that are used to attract the little ones. A quick overview of what awaits you tonight.

Disastrous working conditions

The most significant element of the investigation probably concerns the working conditions of employees. Because if we are to believe the information provided in this report, understaffed workdays are the norm. Results : the dose of stress and fatigue caused by employees is almost unbearable.

The anonymous testimony of a former restaurant manager describes a system of permanent pressure on employees: « I had aggressive management. That’s what I was taught to do: put pressure. A teammate you don’t put pressure on, a teammate who isn’t afraid of you, he doesn’t respect you. That’s the values ​​that have been passed on to me for years. There were tears, cries, confusion. You put so much pressure on yourself that you’re tense during the whole rush. »

She also explains that she used timing methods, regularly telling his employees that their times were not good. Because at MacDonald’s, it takes 90 seconds to prepare an order. Not to mention the strident beeps that sound throughout the day in the kitchenand which each time correspond to a new task to be performed (shake the fries, turn the steaks, etc.).

Illegal employment contracts

To be closer to reality, Rebecca, a journalist on the show, got hired in a restaurant of the sign. She was thus able to observe several problematic elements.

Starting with his employment contract. The journalist who wanted to work full-time was finally hired part-time. But while the Labor Code clearly stipulates that the minimum working time of the part-time employee is fixed at 24 hours per week, he was offered a contract of 15 hours per week.

To circumvent the law, Rebecca will therefore write a « voluntary » derogation letter, under the dictation of her superior. The concern is that her contract also stipulates that she must be available to McDonald’s 60 hours a week. It is therefore impossible for her to combine with another part-time job., as the schedules change every week. Especially since the collective agreement for fast food prohibits the employer from requesting availability for more than three times the time worked. Second illegality noted on this contract.

The thorny issue of franchisees

The investigation also addresses the thorny issue of relations between the parent company and the franchised restaurants. The latter is based on a complex system of royalties, and the rent depends on the turnover.

But there is no any kind of territorial exclusivity, which allows MacDonald’s to install another restaurant as it pleases a few meters from the first, without the latter being able to oppose it. It is easy to imagine the delicate (even catastrophic) situation in which such a situation can plunge him, especially at the financial level.