Emiliano Mellino

3 weeks ago | thebureauinvestigates.com | Emiliano Mellino

The wife of a wealthy London-based Russian sacked the housekeeper who blew the whistle on her drug-taking and abusive behaviour, according to a claim filed at an employment tribunal. The former employee, known as Ms P, said in her claim that the wife was frequently drunk, appeared to be using illegal drugs and kept “inappropriate” pictures of her children on her iPad.

Nov 15, 2024 | thebureauinvestigates.com | Emiliano Mellino

Migrant workers who have been exploited on British farms face huge barriers to achieving justice through the employment tribunal – including rules effectively stopping them from giving oral evidence, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) can reveal. The six-month seasonal worker visa, which was launched in 2019 and now brings more than 30,000 workers to the UK each year, has been beset with allegations of labour exploitation, including systematic bullying, abuse and underpayment.

Oct 18, 2024 | thebureauinvestigates.com | Emiliano Mellino

Having spent the best part of two years reporting on the exploitation, bullying and wage theft suffered by seasonal workers on British farms, one of my first thoughts when the government published its new Employment Rights Bill was whether it would better protect them. Arguably one of the bill’s most significant reforms is its extension of unfair dismissal rights. As it stands, you need to have worked for an employer for at least two years before you’re fully protected against unfair dismissal.

Aug 24, 2024 | thebureauinvestigates.com | Emiliano Mellino

When Ubay* was told in January that he and his wife had been selected to work in the UK, they celebrated. The 37-year-old father of four from Uzbekistan, had seen his timber import business go bankrupt. Here was a chance to get his family out of debt. He had previously received similar offers that looked like scams, but this time there was no reason to be suspicious. The recruitment drive was organised by the Uzbek government. There had been a formal interview process.

Jun 28, 2024 | thebureauinvestigates.com | Emiliano Mellino

Lucrezia Bosio has always thought of herself as British. She has lived in the UK since she was two months old, grew up in south-west London and has the accent to prove it. She even did the Duke of Edinburgh's award while she was at school. But when she was preparing to vote in the Brexit referendum in 2016, Lucrezia was told she did not have the right to participate.