Brazilian labour unions are suing McDonald's and its local franchisee Arcos Dourados for allegedly violating labour laws for at least 30 years.
The suit filed Monday in Brasilia also seeks to prevent McDonald's from opening new stores until it complies with legislation and asks that it be slapped with penalties of up to 30 per cent of its revenue in Brazil.
The suit was spearheaded by the union for fast food restaurant workers.
It says in a statement that the defendants have "violated minimum wage laws, committed timecard fraud, failed to pay overtime, denied employees regular schedules, and used underage workers, among other illegal actions."
Arcos Dourados said by email that it has not been notified of the lawsuit and that all of its labour practices conform to Brazilian legislation.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.