There are millions of people employed on short-term contracts. Their continuity of service, when it totals two years or more, protects them from unfair dismissal, but some employers still try to bend the rules, as this case study shows.
By Emma McClelland
26 July 2023
Like many refugees on the Ukraine Family Scheme, *Maryna and her two children found themselves on the brink of homelessness.
By Emma McClelland
24 February 2023
This is a case study about how cash-in-hand living arrangements, agreed without contracts, put vulnerable people at the mercy of rogue landlords.
By Emma McClelland and Magda Saniuk
08 August 2022
For many of us, job security is a highly influential factor when deciding where to work. When the company we work for changes hands, that sense of security can be shaken, especially when consultation is lacking and communication is poor.
By Emma McClelland and Olivia Vicol
12 July 2022
While people in the UK are working hard to welcome and support those fleeing the war in Ukraine, misinformation about their rights under the government’s schemes causes unnecessary strain, as this story from one of our recent beneficiaries shows…
By Emma McClelland
30 May 2022
Oksana came to the UK in August 2021 on a Seasonal Worker visa. Together with her partner, a medical student, she was determined to work hard on a farm for the six months the visa allowed it, to raise some money and kickstart their lives in Ukraine. She could never predict how her plans would change.
By Olivia Vicol and Oksana*
22 April 2022
Sometimes, a toxic job or bad manager can undermine your confidence and ability to evaluate your own strengths.
By Emma McClelland
20 April 2022
This is a story about phoenix companies, and the destruction they can leave in their wake.
By Emma McClelland and Olivia Vicol
12 April 2022
A family that arrived just before Freedom of Movement ended struggle to source ‘acceptable’ residence evidence.
By Emma McClelland
28 August 2021
When Marius found himself without a home or job, he sought help from local organisations. This case study demonstrates how charities often work alongside each other to tackle people’s challenges holistically.
By Emma McClelland
07 August 2021
A couple applying for their children’s EUSS statuses found an unlikely challenge in the spelling of a name
By Emma McClelland
31 July 2021
A woman and her son moved to the UK seeking opportunities. They were met with adversity. This story highlights the complex and multi-layered nature of the challenges some of our beneficiaries face.
By Emma McClelland
20 July 2021
When people and technology are out of sync, processes that affect lives and livelihoods stop working. Applying for a National Insurance Number is one of these processes and, as one of our recent beneficiaries discovered, when the system doesn’t work, neither can they!
By Emma McClelland and Dora-Olivia Vicol
24 March 2021
Katherine’s job application was rejected when the social research company she applied for misunderstood what ‘right to work checks’ entail for EU nationals with pre-settled status. This is how we helped Katherine show the company that they got it wrong, and how she was welcomed back into the process.
By Emma McClelland
24 February 2021
Daria was distraught when her employer let her go overnight during the lockdown. But a stitch in time saves nine. Discover how our timely help with the Universal Credit application helped Daria avoid a crisis, and how our advisers’ work on her CV helped her find a permanent new position.
By Andrei Savitski and Dora-Olivia Vicol
28 January 2021
A young Romanian woman found herself dismissed, at risk of hunger, and betrayed by the friend who promised to help her settle in Manchester. This is the story of how she rose above it all.
By Raluca Enescu
25 November 2020
Nicu entered a spiral of anxiety when he learnt that he was days away from losing his home. This is the story of his two month struggle, and the role of referral networks in providing some support.
By Ana-Maria Cirstea and Dora-Olivia Vicol
13 July 2020
This case study does something a little different. It takes a look at the moments of tragicomedy that arise at the Employment Rights Clinic, when vulnerable people one would never expect to see in court, show that justice is within reach.
By Raluca Enescu - translated by Ana-Maria Cirstea
13 July 2020
This article brings together voices and short anecodtes from the whole service provision team.
By The Team
04 July 2020
After years of working for a company where managers teased her, and executives discounted her discrimination as merely a matter of "interpretation", Azhara seeks justice. This is an account of the hope and hurdles she encountered, working for one the UK's largest supermarket chains.
By Ana-Maria Cirstea and Dora-Olivia Vicol
21 June 2020
After the company he had worked for 10 years suddenly dismissed him without a word, upon learning he was suffering from a disability, Omar showed that another way is possible.
By Ana-Maria Cirstea and Dora-Olivia Vicol
06 June 2020
When his employer stopped paying his wages, Alex made a claim to the Employment Tribunal and was thrilled to learn that the judge ruled in his favour. Yet months after the ruling, the case is stuck in a web of enforcement, slowed down by a company director who vanished and a pandemic that put the bailiffs' investigation on hold.
By Ana-Maria Cirstea and Dora-Olivia Vicol
24 May 2020
A group of Romanian men who found themselves penniless after the car wash that hired them for years dismissed them without a word, manage to access Universal Credit - but also discover they had been victims of identity theft
By Ana-Maria Cirstea and Dora-Olivia Vicol
25 April 2020
When a cleaning company lets a group of fifteen Romanian go, our advisers walk them through every step towards recovery.
By Ana-Maria Cirstea
16 April 2020