A McDonald’s outlet in Manchester stands accused of infringing employee’s human rights and European Employment law by putting up a sign instructing staff to only speak English while at work.

The sign read:

“Attention all staff. Due to the common language within the store, all staff members must use English at all times. This is in accordance to HQ. Warnings can be issued to anyone who doesn’t follow this notice.”

The ‘restaurant’ in question employs 70 people, a third of whom are from ethnic minorities. Some of the workers complained that the request was unfair – the directive extended to the staff room – and the case has been taken up by the Commission for Racial Equality.

The initial complaint was made to Oassim Afzal, a former Manchester city councillor and member of the federal executive of the Liberal Democrat Party, who speaks on equality issues.

“They feel they were being deprived of a natural way of expressing themselves. They are British-born people. I think it is discriminatory. It is ridiculous. As a multi-national company, they should be more sensitive and realise the use of other languages will help people respect each other’s languages and differences.”

McDonald’s said in a statement that the poster was written and displayed by a junior manager and that the wording had not been approved. A statement released by the company read:

“Staff are encouraged to speak English when working and when liaising with customers. Outside of these times, such as in the staffroom and on breaks, we of course respect their right to converse in whichever language they choose.”