Earlier this week @amaliaillgner published this @gdnlongread about the exploitation of young men and women desperate to break into publishing by massively wealthy Tyler Brule's massively successful @Monocle24 and @MonocleMag. THREAD theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/…
She wrote about how @GoodLawProject is helping her sue her employer, a Monocle/Tyler Brule company. You can help us bring more cases like hers here: crowdjustice.com/case/get-rich-… /1
Yesterday Monocle responded in the @pressgazette. You can read its (extraordinary) response here. /2 pressgazette.co.uk/monocle-defend…
The first thing they say is they are not aware of a legal claim at this time.
Now that's kind of odd because I have in my possession an email of 16 March in which Amalia sends to Monocle's lawyers a copy of her employment tribunal claim form (drafted by a QC and junior). /3
Now that's kind of odd because I have in my possession an email of 16 March in which Amalia sends to Monocle's lawyers a copy of her employment tribunal claim form (drafted by a QC and junior). /3
The next thing they say is that interns are not unpaid and they comply with national minimum wage.
You'll note they don't say they pay those they regard as interns minimum wage. /4
You'll note they don't say they pay those they regard as interns minimum wage. /4
They then say she "insisted" on working for them as an intern - despite being "outside the typical demographic." Amalia is in her 30s. Does this mean that they usually discriminate against older applicants on the grounds of age? /5
I also have the correspondence between Amalia and Monocle. Unsurprisingly, she doesn't "insist" on working for them as an intern. She applies for an internship position, that is all. /6
The other thing that that correspondence reveals? Well, let me show you.
If Monocle was meaning to imply that Amalia was lying when she said she was paid only £30 a day? Well, they're on pretty sticky ground. /7
If Monocle was meaning to imply that Amalia was lying when she said she was paid only £30 a day? Well, they're on pretty sticky ground. /7
Monocle then claims to be "proud" of its internship scheme.
But on 15 March it was advertising through Glassdoor for interns. And on 16 March, the day Amalia emailed her claim form to Monocle's lawyers, the ads went down. /8
But on 15 March it was advertising through Glassdoor for interns. And on 16 March, the day Amalia emailed her claim form to Monocle's lawyers, the ads went down. /8
And @pressgazette itself states that Monocle seems no longer to be advertising for London interns. /9
Leave aside all the (at best) cack-handed statements that Monocle has made to @pressgazette. If you were Tyler Brule or Monocle, wouldn't you want to know whether you were compliant with the law in your treatment of interns? Wouldn't you want to be doing the right thing? /10
Very little is ever certain in law. But I am as clear as I could possibly be that Monocle has broken the law. So let me make this offer to the (immensely wealthy) Tyler Brule. /11
Tyler, if Monocle is right, and you accept this bet, I will donate £50,000 to the charity of your choice. But if Monocle is wrong, and ought to have paid Amalia minimum wage, you must pay £50,000 to @GoodLawProject to enable it to look out for others like @amaliaillgner. /ENDS
Any employment law geeks who want to read the claim form can do so here dropbox.com/s/5utzgpsctxj2…
