19th February 2020
Vegan rights in the workplace is in the news at the moment and Sandra Higgins joined Newstalk in Ireland for a brief discussion on the topic.
The recent decision in England in the case of Casamitjana v The League Against Cruel Sports is an example of an employment judge confirming that the vegan conviction that it is wrong to use or kill other animals, is protected under European Human Rights and Equality laws. These laws also apply in Ireland. Vegans have the right to live according to their conviction and employers must not discriminate against them or allow bullying or harassment in the workplace.
Despite attempts by the media to portray vegan rights in the workplace as a trivial issue, it is anything but. All vegans living in a speciesist society experience difficulty but no one should be discriminated against or victimised because of their vegan moral convictions. Go Vegan World has recently conducted a survey on the experiences of vegans living in Ireland and the UK, and the results for Ireland confirm that discrimination, harassment and victimisation against Irish vegans in the workplace are all too common.
Our legal expert at Go Vegan World, Barbara Bolton, has provided a comprehensive guide to vegan rights, including the rights of vegans in the workplace. Barbara has also drafted sample letters that employees can use to educate employers about their legal obligations.
We are also working with employers to make them aware of their legal duties and help them implement necessary changes, in particular by providing relevant training, as the vegan conviction that animals should not be used as if they were unfeeling things will only be respected in the workplace when it is fully understood throughout an organisation. We offer assistance with this via email, telephone or skype.
For more information please visit the following links.
