Employee sues Uni of Manchester for discrimination after not receiving ‘vegan’ pension

A University of Manchester ex-employee has sued the university after claiming the pension offered to him was not “plant-based.”

The individual said the university had indirectly discriminated against him by failing to offer a pension fund that aligned with his “belief in ethical veganism.”

The claimant, who has remained anonymous, sued both the university and the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which facilitates employee pensions.

He said that the USS makes investment decisions that do not align with an ethical vegan lifestyle, thus making the pension scheme non-vegan.

The ex-employee, who worked at the university from June 2023 to January 2024, had chosen to opt out of the scheme during his employment.

During a recent tribunal, he asked that he be awarded compensation for lost employer pension contributions, with additional interest and compensation for lost tax advantage.

He also requested that the university be required to “facilitate a vegan suitable pension provision.”

The claimant said the university offers a Sharia pension fund for Muslim employees, and argued that this meant they should also offer an “ethical vegan” pension.

“It is the [worker]’s case that he is not able to join the USS scheme on the basis of his ethical veganism, because the USS makes investment decisions which he and other vegans cannot accept,” the tribunal hearing reads.

“It is [the university and the USS] case that the claim is misconceived and has no reasonable prospect of success.”

The case has been stricken out after a tribunal, with the conclusion agreeing with the university and the USS that the claimant “has no reasonable prospect of success as against the first respondent or the second respondent.”

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The tribunal conclusion said that as no “ethical vegan pension fund[s]” currently exist, the university could not have provided the claimant with this option.

Such pension funds are currently in the process of being set up.

Featured image via Unsplash