A cleaner in a London law firm was let go after she was found consuming a leftover tuna sandwich at the prestigious office, Business Insider reported. It is undisclosed whether the woman received the sandwich from a meeting room, but she was fired for consuming it, and her employer, Total Clean, a private contractor, reportedly dismissed her right before the Christmas holiday season. The case has prompted members of United Voices of the World (UVW) to protest and take action against the law firm and the contractor, alleging race-related discrimination.
According to Business Insider, the cleaner found the leftover tuna sandwich in a meeting room and proceeded to eat it after it was discarded. A spokesperson for Devonshires, the law firm where the cleaner was employed, stated that while it did not make a formal complaint, it advised Total Clean not to dismiss the cleaner. However, Total Clean launched its own internal investigation and decided to terminate her employment. The law firm emphasized that the case is a private matter between Total Clean and the cleaner, but underscored its non-opposition to her return to work on its premises should Total Clean modify its stance.
United Voices of the World (UVW), which represents migrant workers, accused the firm of discriminatory action, contending that had the cleaner not been a Latinx woman with limited English skills, the law firm would not have made any complaints that would result in her dismissal. UVW, who claim that the woman had worked as a cleaner at the law firm for two years before her termination, have now decided to take legal action. They argue that the dismissal based on discriminatory grounds is unjustified and discriminatory, and are set to challenge it in an employment tribunal. They believe it is part of a larger and disturbing trend where cleaners within the UK are often dismissed over minor and bigoted reasons, Business Insider revealed.
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