Tesco Fires Workers For Taking ‘Free For Staff’ Pastries 40 Minutes Early

A British multinational grocery supermarket, Tesco, fired an employee for taking baked pastries 40 minutes before they went ‘free for staff.’ Mohammed Kamruzzaman worked in Naas, Co. Kildare for 18 months and challenged his unfair dismissal action against Tesco Ireland Ltd.

According to the store’s scheme, employees are free to take baked goods after 9 pm before they go to a bin, however, on 7 May 2025, Kamruzzaman checked out some pastries with a cashier at 8:20 pm to catch his bus. The cashier processed the items as a “stored transaction,” allowing Kamruzzaman to leave early. The incident was examined by Tesco Ireland’s loss prevention team, leading to the dismissal of a total of three employees.

Kamruzzaman claimed that the disciplinary procedure was not fair, as Tesco should have referred him to a trade union to be prepared for an initial fact-gathering meeting. He also believed the dismissal was unfair on a human level. 

While Kamruzzaman apologised immediately for his actions, Store Manager Cian O’Sullivan clarified the company’s strict zero-tolerance approach to theft of any form. According to Tesco Ireland, the dismissal had been entirely fair and fell within the “band of reasonableness” under the Unfair Dismissals Act.

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) sided with the supermarket giant, dismissing Kamruzzaman's claim and stating the disciplinary process complied with fair procedures.