A BBC investigation has revealed that McDonald’s and several major UK supermarkets failed to identify clear signs of modern slavery for years, allowing a Czech trafficking gang to exploit vulnerable victims in a forced labor scheme. Sixteen individuals, many of whom had been homeless or suffered from addiction, were trafficked into the UK and forced to work in a McDonald’s branch in Caxton, Cambridgeshire, and a pitta bread factory that supplied products to supermarkets such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose.
For over four years, the gang controlled these victims through a range of manipulative tactics. The victims’ wages were funneled into bank accounts controlled by the traffickers, with four men’s salaries—amounting to £215,000—being deposited into a single account. Despite working between 70 to 100 hours per week, including a 30-hour shift for one victim, their pay was stolen, and they were forced to live in dire conditions. Authorities found that the victims lived in overcrowded housing, including a leaking shed and an unheated caravan, while the gang used the stolen wages to fund a luxurious lifestyle that included luxury cars, jewelry, and properties in the Czech Republic.
The criminal network behind this operation, a family-run gang, was finally brought to justice after a lengthy investigation by Cambridgeshire Police and Czech authorities, with six members convicted in two trials. However, despite clear signs of forced labor, including excessive overtime and shared living spaces, McDonald’s and the supermarkets failed to intervene, missing numerous red flags over the years. Victims, who could not speak English and had their job applications filled out by gang members, were even accompanied by traffickers during interviews acting as interpreters, further enabling the exploitation.
McDonald’s UK has since acknowledged its failure to detect the abuse and has pledged to implement reforms. This includes a review of its procedures for identifying modern slavery risks, such as the use of shared bank accounts and excessive working hours. Similarly, supermarket chains involved in the case, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose, have expressed regret for their oversight and committed to improving their monitoring systems.
Former independent anti-slavery commissioner Dame Sara Thornton expressed deep concern over the extent of the exploitation, stating that businesses had failed to do enough to protect vulnerable workers. The Modern Slavery Act, introduced in 2015, was intended to combat such abuses, but critics, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, believe the legislation requires strengthening in light of this case. May emphasized the need for companies to take responsibility for their supply chains, highlighting that large corporations like McDonald’s and the supermarkets involved had neglected their duty to investigate properly.
While McDonald’s has begun efforts to reform, the damage has already been done, and for the victims of this modern slavery ring, justice has come too late. The government has promised to take further steps to combat forced labor and human trafficking, though questions remain over the effectiveness of current legislation and corporate responsibility measures.
