Last Updated: February 22, 2024, 18:24 IST
Gabriela Rodriguez labored as a cleaner on the places of work of Devonshires Solicitors. (Representative Image)
After the outrage the Devonshires Solicitors keep that they don’t have any drawback with Gabriela Rodriguez working of their workplace once more.
A cleaner within the UK is taking authorized motion towards a regulation agency in London after she was fired from her job for taking a leftover tuna sandwich from the corporate’s canteen. Gabriela Rodriguez, who’s a migrant employee from Ecuador cleaned the places of work of Devonshires Solicitors for 2 years. As per The Guardian, the contractor Total Clean which employed Rodriguez sacked her simply earlier than Christmas 2023 after they obtained a grievance from Devonshires Solicitors that leftover sandwiches had been being taken. Rodriguez was sacked for “taking client property without authority or reasonable excuse”.
While talking to The Guardian, Rodriguez stated that it was frequent for workers members to take leftovers from canteens. She stated, “On a normal day, some sandwiches were left in the canteen after meetings of lawyers; it was a common practice for people to help themselves for lunchtime. It was almost at the end of my shift – quarter to two in the afternoon – and I took one and put it in the fridge. A week later, I was called 15 minutes before the end of my shift. I was then suspended without pay pending further investigation.”
The United Voices of the World Union (UVW) protested outdoors Devonshires Solicitors places of work on Valentine’s Day as they demanded Rodriguez be reinstated. The protestors purchased over 100 cans of tuna, and 300 hand-wrapped sandwiches on the protest. They additionally carried coronary heart formed balloons and ‘love letters’ of help for Rodriguez.
Petros Elia, the final secretary of UVW, stated that migrant staff are routinely exploited and discriminated towards by firms. She added, “We are taking both Total Clean and Devonshires Solicitors to an employment tribunal. For Total Clean, the claims are for unfair dismissal and direct race discrimination. For Devonshires Solicitors the claims are for direct and/or indirect race discrimination.”
A Total Clean spokesperson advised the Guardian that they took all steps in “accordance with UK employment law following the proper investigative and disciplinary process”. The firm refused to make any extra feedback on the matter.
A spokesperson for Devonshires Solicitors distanced themselves from the matter and stated that they by no means made any “formal complaint against Gabriela and expressly told Total Clean not to take any action against her”. The regulation agency stated that the dispute was a personal matter between Total Clean and Gabriela and added that they don’t have any drawback with Gabriela working for them once more.
