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Emiliano Mellino

@mellino.bsky.social

2.6K followers 1K following 190 posts

Journalist at @tbij.bsky.social. I cover inequality, precarious work and migration. You can contact me on [email protected] https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/profile/emilianomellino

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

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Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

UNI Global Union @uniglobalunion.org · 7h

Wage theft is theft. Governments must stop impunity for these corporate criminals.

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

"Glad you didn't get a penny from your claim as you don't deserve fck all...go fck yourself"

That's the message a director of Crussh sent to Raf just after it went into administration.Two months earlier a tribunal had ordered Crussh to pay Raf over £30k
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

‘Glad you didn’t get a penny’: cafe boss gloats over unpaid tribunal…

Cafe chain popular with MPs has lost two unfair dismissal cases but still not paid up

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Raluca Terry-Enescu @ralucahippie.bsky.social · 1d

This is a huge problem that @workrights.bsky.social have documented in the past.

Crook opens company, treats workers like 💩, shafts contractors of pay - and then when sued declares insolvency, liquidates the company, starts it again under a new name - and good luck recovering your compensation.

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

"Glad you didn't get a penny from your claim as you don't deserve fck all...go fck yourself"

That's the message a director of Crussh sent to Raf just after it went into administration.Two months earlier a tribunal had ordered Crussh to pay Raf over £30k
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

‘Glad you didn’t get a penny’: cafe boss gloats over unpaid tribunal…

Cafe chain popular with MPs has lost two unfair dismissal cases but still not paid up

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

"Glad you didn't get a penny from your claim as you don't deserve fck all...go fck yourself"

That's the message a director of Crussh sent to Raf just after it went into administration.Two months earlier a tribunal had ordered Crussh to pay Raf over £30k
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

‘Glad you didn’t get a penny’: cafe boss gloats over unpaid tribunal…

Cafe chain popular with MPs has lost two unfair dismissal cases but still not paid up

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Declassified UK @declassifieduk.org · 1d

🚨Leaked Israeli documents reveal the British army’s 77th brigade held secret exchanges with the IDF.

The 77th brigade specialises in psychological operations including online propaganda activities.
www.declassifieduk.org/uk-psycholog...

UK psychological warfare unit collaborated with Israeli army

Exclusive: The British army’s 77th brigade held secret exchanges with the IDF, leaked files reveal.

www.declassifieduk.org

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · 1d

People should be in prison for this, but instead they’re driving around in fancy cars, starting new companies, shitting on workers all over again…

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

Here's the second part, where we show that less than 1% of fines (by value) issued for non-payment of tribunal awards are actually paid.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Employment tribunals: ‘scandal’ of toothless scheme to punish…

Just 2% of fines given to employers who disobey court orders have actually been paid

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

There are really no consequences for bosses. In the first piece we wrote in this series, we mentioned how back in 2021 Labour's "New Deal for Workers" included a provision for company directors to be liable for non-payment of tribunal awards. Obvs that didn't make it into the Employment Rights Bill.

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

Here's the second part, where we show that less than 1% of fines (by value) issued for non-payment of tribunal awards are actually paid.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Employment tribunals: ‘scandal’ of toothless scheme to punish…

Just 2% of fines given to employers who disobey court orders have actually been paid

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

As we revealed in the first part of our investigation, thousands of people who were awarded money at employment tribunals have never been paid

What Raf's case shows is that it's happening right under MPs' & journalists' noses, in their favourite cafes
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Thousands of rogue bosses get away with not paying tribunal awards

The government scheme ‘enforcing’ money owed to workers has been unsuccessful in a staggering three-quarters of cases

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

This Crussh Millbank branch (now named Artisan Fork) is popular with journalists and politicians, so much so that when it originally closed @politico.eu's London Playbook wrote about it.

A former Tory leadership contender even announced his campaign launch on its doorsteps.

Screengrab from Politico website which reads: "CRUSSHING NEWS: The Crussh branch at 4 Millbank — a popular political coffee spot — has closed, alongside other Crussh outlets across London. Pic here from the Speccie’s James Heale."

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

Like Crussh's director suggested in this message, by going into administration, the company wouldn't have to pay the tribunal award.

But as this is all going on, the same group of directors reopen Crussh's Millbank branch under a new name: Artisan Fork.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Whatsapp message from company director which says: "“Glad you didn’t get a penny from your claim as you don’t deserve fck all. I don’t appreciate the comments made about me in your statement and I wish you had the balls of a real man to say it to my face which you are not.
However being a 2 faced prick is a full time job which you have mastered. So go fck yourself.”

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

"Glad you didn't get a penny from your claim as you don't deserve fck all...go fck yourself"

That's the message a director of Crussh sent to Raf just after it went into administration.Two months earlier a tribunal had ordered Crussh to pay Raf over £30k
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

‘Glad you didn’t get a penny’: cafe boss gloats over unpaid tribunal…

Cafe chain popular with MPs has lost two unfair dismissal cases but still not paid up

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

If you want to know more about the thousands of employers who have not paid tribunal awards and the government's apparent innaction in the face of this scandal, you can read about it here:

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Thousands of rogue bosses get away with not paying tribunal awards

The government scheme ‘enforcing’ money owed to workers has been unsuccessful in a staggering three-quarters of cases

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks @jim.londoncentric.media for citing our investigation into the thousands of companies that ignore employment tribunal judgments.

As it happenned one of the people we covered was Preston Benson, which @londoncentric.media did a deep-dive on days earlier
www.londoncentric.media/p/preston-be...

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 2d

In 2016 the UK government introduced a scheme to encourage employers to pay employment tribunal awards by threatening them with a fine if they didn't pay.

But of the £9.6million pounds in fines issued, only £95,000 has been paid - less than 1%.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Employment tribunals: ‘scandal’ of toothless scheme to punish…

Just 2% of fines given to employers who disobey court orders have actually been paid

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 2d

That's very kind! I always see these things as a collaborative effort between the reporter, the affected people and other sources. As they say, it takes a village.

With the bill there's an opportunity to affect change around these issues, but it will also require us all keeping this on the agenda.

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 2d

This is the second part of our investigation into how bosses ignore employment tribunal judgments. You can read more about the rest of the investigation in this thread.
bsky.app/profile/mell...

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 6d

🚨 Our new investigation out today reveals how thousands of people who've taken their bosses to employment tribunals & won, never got paid, even after they approached the government for help.

This has serious implications for the Employment rights bill.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Thousands of rogue bosses get away with not paying tribunal awards

The government scheme ‘enforcing’ money owed to workers has been unsuccessful in a staggering three-quarters of cases

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 2d

As Paul Nowak, general secretary of @tuc.org.uk said, the employment tribunal penalty enforcement and naming scheme has been “a disaster and entirely ineffective”.

He said that the government's proposed Fair Work Agency needed to be well resourced in order to ensure that tribunal awards were paid.

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 2d

We asked the government for the names of companies that had not paid tribunal awards via FOI.

The government refused & said that publishing the names would give information to “hostile actors who may pose a threat to the health and safety of employers”
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Snip of the text in the article which says:

"Our requests were refused. The Department for Business and Trade said that disclosing the information could provide sensitive information to “hostile actors who may pose a threat to the health and safety of employers” and that it could damage “the confidence businesses or other organisations have” in the department. TBIJ is appealing the decision."

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 2d

In 2018, its powers were expanded, enabling it to name and shame companies that had not paid judgments. Nearly 4,000 requests have been made since then by workers for companies to be named.

But not a single employer has been named.

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Employment tribunals: ‘scandal’ of toothless scheme to punish…

Just 2% of fines given to employers who disobey court orders have actually been paid

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 2d

In 2016 the UK government introduced a scheme to encourage employers to pay employment tribunal awards by threatening them with a fine if they didn't pay.

But of the £9.6million pounds in fines issued, only £95,000 has been paid - less than 1%.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Employment tribunals: ‘scandal’ of toothless scheme to punish…

Just 2% of fines given to employers who disobey court orders have actually been paid

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Tommy Greene @tommygreene.bsky.social · 6d

Great investigation into how a government initiative to force rogue bosses to pay up after tribunal findings against them is still failing workers nearly a decade after its launch 👇

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 6d

🚨 Our new investigation out today reveals how thousands of people who've taken their bosses to employment tribunals & won, never got paid, even after they approached the government for help.

This has serious implications for the Employment rights bill.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Thousands of rogue bosses get away with not paying tribunal awards

The government scheme ‘enforcing’ money owed to workers has been unsuccessful in a staggering three-quarters of cases

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Kate Roberts @k8roberts.bsky.social · 6d

It’s a real failing when even those who’ve battled a system where the odds are weighed against them to win an ET claim never actually receive the compensation they are owed

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 6d

🚨 Our new investigation out today reveals how thousands of people who've taken their bosses to employment tribunals & won, never got paid, even after they approached the government for help.

This has serious implications for the Employment rights bill.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Thousands of rogue bosses get away with not paying tribunal awards

The government scheme ‘enforcing’ money owed to workers has been unsuccessful in a staggering three-quarters of cases

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Great Editor @simonchilds.bsky.social · 6d

This is wild. People go through the mill taking on crappy employers in employment tribunals, win and then just... don't get the money. Really important investigation.

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 6d

🚨 Our new investigation out today reveals how thousands of people who've taken their bosses to employment tribunals & won, never got paid, even after they approached the government for help.

This has serious implications for the Employment rights bill.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Thousands of rogue bosses get away with not paying tribunal awards

The government scheme ‘enforcing’ money owed to workers has been unsuccessful in a staggering three-quarters of cases

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Free Representation Unit @freerepunit.bsky.social · 6d

We collaborated with @tbij.bsky.social on this important story.

We represented Nadine at the ET. She was awarded £35k but hasn't received any of it. Workers need co-ordinated action by government agencies to enforce rights. We'll continue to represent our clients to give them the best chance.

Reposted by Emiliano Mellino

Owen Espley (he/him) @owenespley.bsky.social · 6d

Without punishment there is no law! (sine pune sine lege.. if Latin's your thing)...
It's a total disgrace that workers can go thru the utter mill to get awarded compensation only for bosses to sidestep it in preventable ways...

Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 6d

🚨 Our new investigation out today reveals how thousands of people who've taken their bosses to employment tribunals & won, never got paid, even after they approached the government for help.

This has serious implications for the Employment rights bill.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Thousands of rogue bosses get away with not paying tribunal awards

The government scheme ‘enforcing’ money owed to workers has been unsuccessful in a staggering three-quarters of cases

www.thebureauinvestigates.com