A week after two employees at McDonald's restaurants were electrocuted in Peru, the general manager of the company's operating firm has blamed the faulty drinks machine for the deaths. The manager said this in an interview to a local television channel.
The company's restaurants in Peru were shut last week, following a two-day-long mourning for the death of the two employees. Not only in Peru, McDonald's employees have time and again raised the issue of better work condition at different parts of the world, including the United States.
Negligence on part of managers
Although not huge, McDonald's has a sizeable presence in Peru. On Saturday, José Andrade, general manager of Arcos Dorados Peru, which holds McDonald's franchise in Peru, said that the managers of the outlet failed to inform the company's maintenance department about the faulty machines, which resulted in two deaths last week, according to Reuters.
Two teenage employees, Carlos Campo, 19, and Alexandra Porras, 18, died while working in the kitchen at the company's restaurant in Pueblo Libre last Sunday.
Andrade during the interview said that only the local managers were in the know that the drinks machine was malfunctioning and giving shocks to employees. He further said that, following internal investigations, it was found that the local managers came to know about the machine malfunctioning at least 24 hours before the incidents took place.
Country in deep shock
The two incidents have resulted in the country going into a state of shock. McDonald's franchisee runs 29 restaurants in Peru, all of which have remain closed since last week, as both the company and prosecutors continue to investigate into the incidents.
The relatives of the deceased also called for a protest by citizens on Saturday afternoon. Although the spokesperson of Arcos Dorados didn't comment on Andrade's claims, police is aggressively investigating the incidents.
The incident has also seen outrage from past and present employees, who are demanding reforms. In fact, the country's president Martin Vizcarra also has taken this incident as a matter of serious concern. Immediately after the accident, Vizcarra said that he will seek to strengthen the country's labor laws and will take strict actions against companies flouting rules and involved in workplace accidents.
