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Cleaner 'Sacked for Eating Leftover Sandwich Left Out in Law Firm's Kitchen'
MIRROR (U.K.) ^ | 19 FEB 2024 | John Siddle, Susie Beever

Posted on 02/19/2024 12:37:24 PM PST by nickcarraway

Single mum Gabriela Rodriguez was sacked from her £13 an hour job with Total Clean after eating a tuna sandwich left over from an event at Devonshires solicitors in London

A single mum working as a cleaner at a top London law firm was sacked after eating a leftover tuna sandwich from the kitchen.

Gabriela Rodriguez swiped the £1.50 snack left on a platter in the offices for Devonshire solicitors. The impulsive decision led to the 39-year-old being accused of theft by the contracted company she worked for, ultimately terminating her employment which she relied on to support her 10-year-old daughter.

Total Clean, who posted profits of £1.6million last year, told Ms Rodriguez the theft had "irrevocably destroyed" their trust by eating the sandwich. The mum, a migrant worker on £13.08 an hour, tried to appeal the decision but to no avail.

Now union bosses have slammed Total Clean's decision, describing it as "beyond the realms of reasonableness and comprehension". Ms Rodriguez had had an "impeccable record" in her £13.08 per hour job after working there for two years, UVW Union for migrant workers said, and had genuinely believed she was allowed to eat the food which had been left over from a corporate event.

In an appeal letter fighting for her job, the union wrote there were "various full trays of leftover sandwiches that had been laid out for staff to eat" when she took the food. "Gabriela understood she was also allowed to eat this food."

"It is so incredibly far beyond the realms of reasonableness and comprehension to dismiss an employee for eating a leftover tuna and cucumber sandwich. We now understand that the privilege of eating leftover sandwiches perhaps does not extend to the outsourced migrant workforce in the building."

(Excerpt) Read more at mirror.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Food; Local News; Society
KEYWORDS: leftovers
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To: wgmalabama

I’m so done eating pizza now, but in my single days, I went with the 12 hour rule.


61 posted on 02/19/2024 4:52:07 PM PST by Blue Collar Christian (I'm a nationalist. I'm white. How does that make me racist?)
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To: SamAdams76

My mom was fired for buying with her own money a cake for a colleague who was leaving to take a new non-competitive job.

Her idiot boss didn’t know that the husband of one of my mom’s friend WAS their largest customer. Oops.


62 posted on 02/19/2024 4:52:32 PM PST by cyclotic (Don’t be part of the problem. Be the entire problem)
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To: Blue Collar Christian

There’s nothing in the average pizza that’s going to spoil in a day.

(How do people think we survived before refrigeration?)


63 posted on 02/19/2024 5:07:23 PM PST by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: nickcarraway

Sealed tuna sandwich
With the wrapper glued


64 posted on 02/19/2024 5:12:02 PM PST by P.O.E. (Pray for America.)
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To: Jamestown1630

Agree 💯


65 posted on 02/19/2024 5:20:03 PM PST by Allegra (Less propaganda would be appreciated. )
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To: Jamestown1630

I think they just went to restaurants then.


66 posted on 02/19/2024 5:32:28 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: Babba Gi

“I got through residency eating patient’s leftover food.”

Yep, not a residency but two runs through nursing school and psych nursing. Kinda liked hospital food and it was free.


67 posted on 02/19/2024 5:46:16 PM PST by Karliner (Heb 4:12 Rom 8:28 Rev 3, "...This is the end of the beginning." Churchill)
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To: nickcarraway

It IS petty. I used to arrange and organize receptions at an institution. I had to let maintenance know what time to come and clean the room and empty the trash cans afterwards. I always left them the remaining food on the table with a note thanking the janitors for their assistance and to please help themselves to the leftovers. They were not very well paid and many of them took it home for their evening meal.


68 posted on 02/19/2024 6:12:13 PM PST by CFW (I will not comply!)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I did meetings and events for years as well.

Did I care what the caterers or venue did with the leftovers? Heck no.

The fact that this even came on someone’s radar tells me either they were not done with the platter or, as you indicated,
this was a convenient excuse.

Another person suggested the liability angle, wherein if they got sick from the food and wanted to sue, the company could be exposed (even fighting a nuisance suit is expensive).


69 posted on 02/19/2024 6:12:35 PM PST by TheWriterTX (🇺🇸✝️🙏🇮🇱)
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To: TheWriterTX

It’s interesting that the staff (read secretaries, interns, or clerks) could come in and eat what was left after the big-wigs had finished, but not the janitor that cleaned the meeting room.


70 posted on 02/19/2024 6:14:08 PM PST by CFW (I will not comply!)
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To: nickcarraway

years ago, worked as a janitor...minimum wage. most cleaning staff are constantly taking items that are thrown out at work. The reason that it’s done for survival when living on the margins you do this to make finances work. someone eating an abandoned tuna sandwich is doing it because they are hungry and don’t consistently have money to feed themselves. getting upset and firing someone over it is the prerogative of the company but is also an example of the banality of evil...there was a choice that the owners or manager had, and it was not one of compassion.


71 posted on 02/19/2024 6:31:39 PM PST by PCPOET7 (`)
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To: nickcarraway

The Brontoburgers Restaurant?


72 posted on 02/19/2024 7:10:55 PM PST by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: Jamestown1630

If the Flintstones is to be believed.


73 posted on 02/19/2024 7:36:43 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: Lazamataz

I’d agree. What time was this? Daytime during normal hours or after hours when everyone had gone. If during the daytime and even left out, she should have been cleaning and there was the potential that the food was left out for office employees.


74 posted on 02/19/2024 7:40:56 PM PST by Gaffer
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To: nickcarraway

If an employee will steal some things, they will steal other things too - she should be fired.


75 posted on 02/20/2024 2:28:40 AM PST by qwerty1234
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To: nickcarraway

Probably a Christian.

Cleaning during the night shift - overnight. Sandwich headed toward stale . . . then trash.

Fired for being Christian while eating a sandwich.

‘Tis England, where they do that: Find an excuse to make life difficult for Christians.


76 posted on 02/20/2024 2:47:18 AM PST by linMcHlp
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To: CaptainPhilFan

I agree.

Usually, leftover food, if it‘s on a plate - not in a Tupper box and/or in the fridge- is supposed to be there for the taking by any comer. This is also what another participant in this debate has already pointed out.

That‘s the way it‘s supposed to be (in my country at least, don’t know about British customs in this regard), and the custom I was raised with😊


77 posted on 02/20/2024 2:12:26 PM PST by Menes
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To: Gaffer

You are right, there is some information missing from this whodunnit.

Please also see my comment above this one🙂


78 posted on 02/20/2024 2:19:21 PM PST by Menes
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