About us
Our mission is to support migrants and disadvantaged Britons to access employment justice, and improve their social mobility. To this end, every week in London and Manchester we run a free and multilingual advice clinic. We help our beneficiaries fight employment rights breaches such as non-payment, we provide employability and benefits advice, and we help them secure their immigration status when they need it.
We also recognise the importance of changing the systems that create socioeconomic disadvantage. This is why we use our frontline insights to raise the profile of inequality, and work with policymakers to address it.
Contents
The team
Dora-Olivia Vicol
Olivia is co-founder and Director of the Work Rights Centre. A trained anthropologist, she became interested in employment justice during her doctoral study, where she conducted an ethnography of Romanian migrants' trajectories into precarious jobs in London. At the Work Rights Centre she takes the lead in policy development and research, ensuring that staff, projects, and activities further the charity's mission to widen access to justice.
Kasia Figiel
Our COO, Kasia, has significant experience of leading large projects and teams, gained over a decade long career in the world of academic publishing. Kasia initially joined the Work Rights Centre as a volunteer, following her commitment to fairness, access to employment and decent pay for all. She is now responsible for our fundraising, financial management and operations.
Lora Tabakova
Lora is our Service Provision and Development Manager at the London clinic, leading on casework with clients in the South of England, and partnership building with like minded organisations. She holds qualifications in business administration, customer service, and equality and diversity at the workplace, as well as Level 5 HND in Business Management from Plymouth University. Lora is particularly interested in community engagement, and has contributed to a variety of projects over the years, including the One Million Project, where she was a publishing assistant manager. Outside of WoRC, Lora is enrolled in a BA International Business Management at the University of West London. She speaks Bulgarian and English.
Raluca Enescu
Raluca joined the Work Rights Centre in 2016 as a volunteer, and is now data analyst and Manager of the Manchester clinic. An LSE graduate with years of experience in community engagement, research, and data analysis, she is also currently working for Tower Hamlets HealthWatch as a Community Intelligence Analyst. Raluca joined the Work Rights Centre because she is committed to combating labour exploitation, and granting equal rights of all UK and EU citizens.
Zac Downs
Zac is a software developer with a long running interest in social affairs. He has been a supporter of the Work Rights Centre since its foundation, and has built its web and print identity. He currently oversees the development of the website, digital tools, and production of promotional materials.
Adis Sehic
Adis is a Senior Policy and Research Officer at the Work Rights Centre. Having previously worked as an immigration solicitor, Adis has experience in confronting the wide spectrum of issues faced by migrant communities in the UK, including as part of previous work on complex political asylum claims, judicial review claims and other applications under the UK's immigration regime. At the Work Rights Centre, Adis’ focus is on policy development and research, analysis of frontline data, constructing the charity's topical briefings and furthering their mission with external stakeholders and colleagues in the third sector.
Andrei Savitski
Andrei is a service provision officer who has been with us since February 2020. With a background in economic development, he has experience working in research and consulting for the public sector. Andrei is passionate about helping people on the charity frontline and using data to drive research and policy discussions on workers' rights and immigration issues. In his words, the Work Rights Centre is particularly unique in the support it provides Russian and Ukrainian speakers across the UK.
Bethany Birdsall
Bethany joined the Work Rights Centre in 2020 as a part of London's service provision team. A fluent Spanish-speaker originally from Minnesota USA, Bethany has been working with migrant and refugee populations in various capacities for over 10 years. Bethany moved to London in 2016 to pursue an MSc in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS University London – and has stayed ever since. Outside of WoRC, she is now completing her Graduate Diploma in Law at BPP University, and was awarded the BPP Career Commitment Scholarship in 2021. Bethany has previously led on projects supporting Latin American migrants and refugees who find themselves underemployed or in precarious or exploitative work.
Serena Fragagnano
With over 7 years experience as a language teacher in UK schools, Serena has joined the Work Right Centre Manchester branch in 2020, as a Service Provision Assistant to support EU migrants improve their professional mobility. An Italian native speaker, she also speaks English, French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.
Magda Saniuk
Magdalena joined the Work Rights Centre in 2021 as a member of the London service provision team before becoming the charity's operations assistant. A native Polish speaker, Magdalena has nearly 10 years' experience in retail customer services and management, and brings her insider knowledge of employment rights to the Work Rights Centre. She is passionate about supporting EU nationals in need.
Dmitri Macmillen
Dmitri joined the Work Rights Centre as the Head of Immigration in October 2022. He is a qualified solicitor and specialises in immigration, asylum and nationality law. He previously worked in a private law firm on a wide spectrum of immigration issues and at a charity where he advised Ukrainian nationals and their family members in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Dmitri works with the Work Rights Centre's service provision team to deliver immigration advice and assistance to the organisation's beneficiaries, as well as with the policy team to develop research on issues faced by migrant communities in the UK.
Sarmila Bose
Sarmila joined Work Rights Centre as Head of Employment in November 2022. She is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales and to the New York bar. With an academic background in history, politics, public policy and law, Sarmila was a journalist and an academic in the USA, India and the UK before qualifying as a lawyer. She is committed to promoting access to justice and previously worked at another charity where she specialised in employment law. Sarmila is also experienced in welfare benefits appeals. She works with the service provision team to provide employment advice and assistance to beneficiaries and on research and policy development related to WoRC’s mission. Sarmila speaks English, Bengali and Hindi.
Nadiia Yashan
Nadiia joined the Work Rights Centre in January 2023 as a UKR/RU-speaking service provision assistant. Originally from Ukraine, Nadiia moved to the UK in 2021 to study. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Law from a Ukrainian university and an LLM degree in International Law from the University of Glasgow. Previously, Nadiia worked as a legal assistant at a private law firm in London and volunteered at the Ukrainian community information centre in Glasgow, where she provided Ukrainian refugees with informational assistance on the first steps to take after arriving in Scotland, including accessing social assistance and other support. Nadiia is a native Ukrainian speaker and speaks English, Russian and some Italian.
Laura Saracin
Laura joined the service provision team in May 2023. She graduated from University of East London where she studied LLB Law with Criminology and has since enrolled on an MRes Social Research and Law degree at Birkbeck, University of London. Laura previously worked with The Renewal Programme in a Stay Settled initiative that helped vulnerable people apply to the EUSS. She also volunteered with Care4Calais, providing emergency aid to asylum seekers in the UK. Laura speaks Romanian and English.
Sunday Babade
Finance Manager Sunday joined the Work Rights Centre in May 2023. A fully qualified and highly skilled accountant, Sunday holds full accreditation from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and a bachelor’s degree in law. He has a strong commitment to enhancing human and environmental wellbeing and approaches his role with a keen focus on optimising both the charity’s financial and operational performance. His extensive experience in various financial capacities within different organisations further enriches his expertise in the field.
Andreea Braslasu
Andreea joined the Work Rights Centre in May 2023 as Interim Operations Assistant. Previously, Andreea worked for over five years in the homeless sector, where she supported migrants, refugees and disadvantaged Britons who found themselves in precarious housing conditions. Andreea is a native-Romanian speaker and holds a Psychology degree from RHUL.
Our trustees
Luke Piper (Interim Chair)
Luke is a solicitor at Stephens Scown LLP. He has over 10 years of experience advising and assisting clients in all areas of immigration. Previously Head of Policy at the3million, he has been instrumental in numerous legal and political changes to the lives of EU citizens living in the UK. He brings invaluable expertise in policy influencing, strategic litigation and advocacy.
Laura Tutu (Joint-Treasurer)
Laura is a qualified project manager with a degree in Economics and a BA (Hons) in Business Management. She is passionate about making a difference for the good and bringing ideas to life. After living and working in four different countries, Laura has seen enough to know she wants to help make a difference and advocate for the fair treatment of immigrants and access to employment justice with the hope of ending modern day slavery.
Laura Chilintan (Joint-Treasurer)
Laura Chilintan is a co-founder of the Work Rights Centre and currently shares the Treasurer role with Laura Tutuianu. Outside of WoRC, she manages legal migrant projects for the Law Centres Network, with a focus on immigration and crime. As a trustee, she has an interest in data, service design and inclusivity, and strengthening the link between service provision and strategic work.
Andrei Decu
Andrei is currently working in telecom, as an IT consultant with an interest in growth and data. He uses his technical expertise to assist with the charity's operations and programs’ technology needs, i.e. online presence, data management and analysis, and cybersecurity. Additionally, he tries to bring their business and management skills to the role and uses his network to help the charity raise awareness and funds.
Mona Zeineddine
Mona is a human rights and feminist advocate with over ten years of experience working with civil society organisations, either in a professional capacity or on a voluntary basis. Mona was most recently the Programmes Manager at Women Now for Development, where she guided the implementation of the programmatic strategy in line with the organisation's values and priorities. She was particularly focused on expanding WN's work on transformative justice and accountability in the Syrian context, whether through initiatives that support strategic litigation or research concerning feminist knowledge production. Mona holds an MSc In Global Governance and Diplomacy and a BA in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut. She is currently pursuing an LLM in Gender, Conflict, and Human Rights at the Ulster University in Belfast and is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.
Sadat Sayeed
Sadat is a leading barrister practising at Garden Court Chambers. He specialises in advice, representation and advocacy in all areas of immigration, asylum, nationality, deportation, detention, national security, EU free movement and human rights law. He is one of the general editors of the 10th edition of Macdonald’s Immigration Law and Practice (the leading practitioner text on immigration law) and is an Assistant Consultant Editor of the British Nationality title in Halsbury’s Laws of England. He is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law.
Miranda Butler
Miranda is a barrister at Landmark Chambers. She specialises in public law, with a particular focus on migrants' rights and trafficking issues. Prior to starting practice, Miranda was a judicial assistant at the UK Supreme Court and has also worked for the European Court of Human Rights. In 2022, Miranda co-founded the award-winning Ukraine Advice Project, which provides free legal information and advice to those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Rob McNeil
Rob is Deputy Director at the Migration Observatory, and a researcher at the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford, specialising in media and migration issues. Before moving into his current role Rob was a journalist for various national newspapers and magazines in the UK and worked in strategic communications roles for environmental and development NGOs.
Jobs
Accreditations
WoRC holds the Advice Quality Standard for Advice and Casework in employment, and our advisers are accredited by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner to provide Level 1 Immigration advice, limited to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Memberships
We are members of several national and local voluntary associations, because we firmly believe that social justice comes from working together. We have established referral networks with the Free Representation Unit, Law Works and Advocate, and are proud members of the Employment Legal Advice Network.
We are also active members of local community networks supported by local authorities. To date, we are collaborating with Brent (via CVS, Brent Community Advice Network, Brent Eastern European Network), Barnet (via the Romanian and Eastern European Hub), Bromley (via Bromley by Bow Insights), Enfield (via the Edmonton Community Partnership, and the Bulgarian Centre for Social Integration and Culture), Harrow (Romanian and Eastern European Network), Haringey (Employment Support Team), and Newham (Compost).
On a national level, WoRC has joined the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Foundation for Social Improvement and the Small Charity Coalition, and is a proud supporter of the Living Wage Foundation.
Our Sponsors
We are grateful to have been funded by grants from The London Community Foundation, Trust For London, The Tudor Trust, The Garfield Weston Foundation and local government funds, as well as by individual private donations. Thanks to Dataplan for payroll services.
