London, February 21: A prominent London legal firm dismissed a cleaner in London, United Kingdom, for consuming a leftover tuna sandwich that she discovered in a conference room, as reported by the Guardian. Following two years of employment at Devonshires Solicitors, Ecuadorian woman Gabriela Rodriguez is suing the firm. A few days before Christmas last year, the woman was fired, according to the United Voices of the World union, which advocates for migrant workers' rights, after the contractor Total Clean got a complaint about leftover sandwiches not being returned.

It was verified that Rodriguez had consumed a sandwich valued at 1.50 euros (about Rs. 134), which she had assumed would be thrown away following a legal meeting. RollOnFriday, a website covering legal problems, claims that the lady lost her job because she removed "client property... without authority or reasonable excuse." US Teacher Asks Students To Write Their Own Obituaries Ahead of Active Shooter Drill, Gets Fired Hours Later.

The union contends that Rodriguez was fired because of discrimination since the firm would not have filed a complaint about her if she were not a Latin American woman with poor English proficiency. On February 14, a group of union members demonstrated outside the law firm's office carrying "100 cans of tuna, 300 hand-wrapped sandwiches, several helium heart-shaped balloons, and love letters for Rodriguez" in an effort to protest her termination and secure her reinstatement. Rodriguez stated that it was "common practice" for employees to take leftovers for lunch in an interview with the publication.

The London legal firm went on to say that they did not request that Total Clean take any action, nor did they file a "formal complaint" against Rodriguez. US: Coffee House Sacks Three Employees for Denying Jewish Woman Access to Restroom, Making Anti-Semitic Remark in California; Video Surfaces.

Without consulting Devonshires in any way, Total Clean conducted its own investigation and made the decision to fire Gabriela. Although this is a private matter between Total Clean and Gabriela, the firm told the local media that it has made it plain to Total Clean that it would not object, as we never have, to Gabriela visiting and working on our property if Total Clean were to modify its attitude.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 21, 2024 09:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).