A new report has revealed that several employees of McDonalds in the United Kingdom were trafficked, and the fast food giant missed obvious warning signs.
A BBC investigation revealed that 16 victims were trafficked from the Czech Republic and forced to work for years at a McDonald's and a bakery in the UK, despite obvious red flags.
From 2015 to 2019, a Czech Republic gang led by brothers Ernest and Zdenek Drevenak targeted vulnerable individuals – primarily the homeless and those battling addiction. They promised their victims well-paid jobs in the UK but instead siphoned off most of their earnings from work at the fast-food giant and a factory that supplied bread products to major grocery chains.
One of the victims, Pavel, said he was only given a few pounds per day even though he constantly worked excessive hours at McDonald's. Pavel said the victims "were afraid" and worried about being discovered if they attempted to escape.
"You can't undo the damage to my mental health," Pavel told BBC. "It will always live with me."
This case of human trafficking went unnoticed for four years, despite numerous blatant indicators. These included victims working 70 to 100 hours per week, non-stop shifts, wages deposited into other people's bank accounts, multiple people registering at the same home addresses, and gang members sitting in on job interviews.
Metropolitan Police Officer Melanie Lillywhite said the family-run gang "treated their victims like livestock" and gave them enough food "to keep them going." Meanwhile, the traffickers reaped the benefits and purchased luxury cars, jewelry, and property.
Reports also say gang members confiscated their victims' passports and threatened them with violence.
The abuse came to light in October 2019 after victims contacted Czech police, prompting an investigation in the UK. Six gang members were arrested and convicted in two separate criminal trials.
In response to the exploitation, McDonald's UK stated that it is enhancing its systems to identify "potential risks." The British Retail Consortium has also committed to learning from the case and improving its measures to prevent similar incidents of modern human trafficking.
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