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Vegans should be ‘legally exempt from work tea rounds’ on the grounds of discrimination, claims senior lawyer.
According to lawyer Alex Monaco, vegans should be ‘legally exempt from work tea rounds’ on the grounds of discrimination as being vegan should be treated as a legally ‘protected characteristic’ under the Equality Act 2010.
Speaking to The Sun, Monaco said: “If you were Jewish or Muslim and told to get a round of bacon sandwiches in, no one would bat an eyelid if you refused.
“But if you’re vegan and refused to buy a pint of milk to make tea because you believe the dairy industry is torturing cows, then you would be laughed out of the kitchen.
Monaco, who is vegan himself, explained that many vegans also feel they are not catered for in the workplace struggle to find “plant-based” food in work canteens whilst the “sandwiches all have butter in them”.
Legal advice
The lawyer says he has faced discrimination in the past whilst on holidays as he “couldn’t eat anything from the butcher’s or pizzeria,” telling the tabloid “I’m not even particularly vulnerable — so how do you think a vegan on a building site could be treated?”
Monaco will be offering free legal consultations to fellow vegans who claim they have been discriminated against because of their dietary orientation.
He believes that “The tide is changing now. It’s a movement. If we can get the law changed, people’s views may follow on from that.”
Workplace discrimination
A recent survey commissioned by employment law specialists, Crossland Employment Solicitors, revealed prejudiced attitudes towards vegan workers is endemic amongst UK employers.
Researchers conducting the study found that nearly half (45%) of 1,000 vegan employees questioned have felt discriminated against by employers, while nearly a third (31%) have felt harassed at work or unfairly treated due to their veganism, (rising to 36% amongst millennials).
