McDonald’s is preparing reopenings, worried workers

“We are currently testing in three restaurants in the Paris region and 12 restaurants in the west of France, an operational guide aimed at significantly strengthening health measures for our staff and our customers” on the “drive” and home delivery activities , a spokesperson for the fast-food chain announced.

This guide, “validated by a scientific committee made up of experts in infectiology and virology”, continues McDo, should allow the brand “to put in place the right protective measures for all of our teams and our customers when the time has come to reopen more widely, ”he continued.

A little earlier, the collective “Your rights at McDonald’s” led by CGT Commerce, had mentioned a video of the president of the group in France, Nawfal Trabelsi, addressed to managers, devoted to this “operational guide” tested in three restaurants.

This provides masks, reduced teams to avoid crossing, marking on the ground to respect a minimum distance of 1 meter.

The hamburger giant plans to reopen “thirty” restaurants on a voluntary basis after a test period.

Since the containment, 12 restaurants out of approximately 1,490 McDonalds in France have remained open for drives and for home delivery in the Tours region, operated by a franchisee, Bernard Simmenauer.

Withdrawal rights already exercised

“These 12 restaurants have never closed completely, and operate at the expense of the health of staff and customers,” said Irvin Violette of the React association, which notably defends McDonald’s workers.

“McDo assumes to have kept these restaurants open in Tours and its region, as a foreshadowing of the conditions for the gradual reopening of stores. They therefore assume to have put employees and clients of these McDonald’s at risk, since their procedures were not yet ready, “he said.

According to Quentin Couty, union delegate at McDo in Tours les Deux Lions, employees worked in March without a mask or gloves, and without respecting safety distances. Seven of them exercised their right of withdrawal, and as many renounced to do so under pressure from management, who said they would not be paid.

“They were finally paid, but not me,” said the delegate, who launched a right of alert. Following an intervention by the labor inspectorate, measures were implemented on Thursday, including the supply of masks, “while we only had beards (equivalent to a charlotte for hair ) ”, He explained.

The restaurant also maximizes contactless payments and has set up Plexiglas for collection.

“The safety distances are in my opinion impossible to implement,” said Quentin Couty.

–