UK: Ecuadorian cleaner sacked for "theft" after eating leftover food at City law firm offices suing Total Clean for unfair dismissal
Summary
Date Reported: 20 Feb 2024
Location: United Kingdom
Companies
Total Clean - Employer , Devonshires - ClientAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Ecuador , Cleaning & maintenance , Women , Documented migrants )Issues
Dismissal , Wage Theft , Access to Non-Judicial Remedy , Intimidation , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure TimeResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist and Resource Centre
Story containing response: (Find out more)
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Total Clean has described the allegations as ‘misleading and inaccurate’. A spokesperson told The Guardian, “…It is important to us to maintain the integrity of our workforce and service by ensuring we deal appropriately with any actions that undermine the hard work and reputation of our incredible team…All steps taken have been in accordance with UK employment law…”. A spokesperson for Devonshire Solicitors said: " Devonshires did not make a formal complaint against Gabriela and expressly told Total Clean not to take any action against her. Total Clean carried out their own investigation and the decision to dismiss Gabriela was taken without any input or influence from Devonshires whatsoever…This is a private matter between Total Clean and Gabriela but we have made clear to Total Clean that we would not object – as we never have done – to Gabriela attending and working on our premises if Total Clean changes its position.” In its initial response to the employment tribunal, Total Clean denied that the defensora del pueblo comment was made, but admitted that Rodriguez had submitted a complaint about missing wages. Devonshires said Rodriguez was employed by Total Clean and that her dismissal took place without the law firm’s knowledge. The company said it would not object to the worker working on their premises and that it had encouraged Total Clean to reinstate her. In August 2024, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Stradivarius to respond to the article. Stradivarius responded.
Source type: News outlet
"Cleaner sacked 'for eating leftover tuna sandwich" at London law firm,"
A cleaner was sacked on the grounds of ‘theft’ for eating a leftover tuna sandwich as she cleaned the offices of a top London law firm, it has been claimed.
Gabriela Rodriguez, a single mother from Ecuador who worked for agency Total Clean, spent two years cleaning the City headquarters of solicitors Devonshires.
But she was reportedly dismissed from her £13-an-hour job by Total Clean shortly before Christmas, after she ate a tuna sandwich that had been left over following a lawyers’ lunch...
Ms Rodriguez, 39, is now reportedly suing Total Clean for unfair dismissal.
Total Clean - which provides cleaning services for commercial and office spaces across London - described the allegations against it as “misleading and inaccurate” and maintained it has acted in accordance with employment law.
Some of Ms Rodriguez’s colleagues have protested at Devonshires’ office near Moorgate.
On X, union United Voices of the World (UVW), which represents low-paid and migrant workers, shared footage of protesters carrying cardboard signs saying ‘sacked for a tuna sandwich’ and ‘we are not the dirt we clean’...