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The UK’s
Trades Union Congress (TUC) has condemned the recent choice of coworking giant
WeWork to no longer serve, or allow employees to expense the cost of, meat.
Case for compensation
The TUC’s Senior
Employment Rights Officer Hannah Reed said: “Employees should be
encouraged to make healthy choices.
“They
should not be left out of pocket if they choose to eat meat.”
Reed’s
statement, while focused on health, failed to address WeWork’s explicitly
outlined motivation for the change of policy – the environmental impact of carnism.
Positive
impact
The company
anticipates it will save ‘an estimated 16.7 billion gallons of water, 445.1
million pounds (201.9 million kg) of CO2 emissions, and over 15 million animals
by 2023? with the change of policy.
Environmental
impact aside, the move also has the potential to improve employee health and
reduce demand for the slaughter of animals across the 20 countries in which
WeWork operates.
Exceptions
WeWork has also clearly indicated that its policy team is open to discussion of
any ‘medical or religious’ exceptions to the rule.
Slater + Gordon Employment Lawyer Sadiq
Vohra told BBC that given these allowances, the new policy ‘should not be
problematic’.
