Waitress axed by Oxbridge club because she tried to take a piece of lasagne home
A WAITrESS at an exclusive London club was fired for trying to take her lunch home because she had not had time to eat it. Bosses at the Oxford and Cambridge Club in Pall Mall searched Silvia Mecati’s handbag as she left work and found a piece of vegetarian lasagne wrapped in tin foil.
Even though the club had provided the meal for free, the 43yearold was accused of ‘stealing’ and dismissed.
The institution – a private members’ club for Oxbridge graduates whose members have included Stephen Fry, Benazir Bhutto and Clement Attlee – argued that she had not sought permission from the chef or a manager to take her lunch home.
The waitress, who has been on a zero hours contract during her three years at the club, is appealing against the decision.
She said employees are given food during certain hours, but she had not had time to eat her lunch on June 27 because she was working two shifts.
The Italian, who has lived in Britain for four years, said: ‘At lunch I had taken a piece of lasagne but I didn’t have time to eat it so I left it on a plate. Near the end of my second shift I wrapped it in tin foil and put it in the fridge as I didn’t want to throw it away.
‘But as I was leaving the night manager asked to check my bag. They had never checked my bag in three years.
‘I told him, “I have my lunch with me because I didn’t have time to eat it and wanted to take it home”. He replied, “Did you have written or verbal permission from the chef or a manger to take your lunch home?” I answered no.’
Miss Mecati was suspended at the end of her shift the following day. She was ordered to empty her locker, hand back her key fob and was escorted out of the building.
She then received a letter from the club, saying: ‘Your actions can be considered to be theft in circumstances where you do not have permission to take Club food from the premises, and therefore a breach of your contract of employment.’
Miss Mecati was invited to a disciplinary hearing on July 6 where she was sacked. A letter sent to her that same day said: ‘The Club believes it is left with no alternative other than to summarily dismiss you from its employment on the ground of gross misconduct.
‘The gravity of your misconduct is such that the club believes the trust and confidence placed in you as its employee has been completely undermined.’
It argued that she had broken rule 2.8 of the employee handbook which says: ‘The removal of any item of Club property from the Club house without permission being granted from a Departmental Manager or the Duty Manager will be considered to be theft and therefore gross Misconduct.’
Miss Mecati has been left worrying about finding another job and paying her rent in Camberwell, South London.
While membership at the club costs up to £1,250 a year, Miss Mecati earned just £8.30 an hour – 80p above the minimum wage and £1.45 below the London Living Wage.
She claims the club fired her so she would not receive a £1,200 bonus she was due in July.
She said: ‘I have never been in trouble or been disciplined before. They would’ve thrown the food away anyway. It was the last piece of lasagne and the kitchen was being cleared up. It’s just an excuse to fire me.’
A further disciplinary hearing will be chaired by an independent figure at a future date.
Nobody at the 200yearold club was available for comment.
‘Considered to be theft’