ALL WORK AND NO PAY
A Leeds Business School lecturer has hit out at the “deeply disturbing” practice of treating interns as a source of cheap labour.
His message to companies who refuse to pay interns was “get real”.
Mr Minton-Taylor, a former director of the global management consulting firm Burson-Marsteller, said: “Not paying a wage is tantamount to slave labour.”
He declared that organisations could fall foul of the law if they did not pay interns.
“Under the Working Time Regulations, Government guidance has suggested that if an intern is expected to work set hours, carry out set duties and is actively contributing to the organisation, there is a risk that an employment tribunal could find the individual is a “worker” and thus entitled to the national minimum wage,” Mr Minton-Taylor said.
“We are living in the worst recession since World War 2. University fees are at an all-time high and students are paying more for their accommodation and living expenses,” he remarked.
“My 45 years in industry has shown that there is simply no excuse for not paying students in employment a wage. I am sick and tired of hearing excuses given by employers about why students should not be paid. Sure students learn on the job – but so do we all. Interns add real
value to businesses and are capable of producing award-winning work so they should be treated fairly and rewarded accordingly,” he stated.
Mr Minton-Taylor commented: “By not paying a wage firms are depriving young people, especially from black and ethnic minority communities and low income families, the opportunity to learn business skills and play a part in regenerating the economy because they cannot afford to take on unpaid jobs.”
“Yet many students feel obliged to take unpaid internships because they are desperate to gain practical experience. It’s a scandalous state of affairs,’’ he commented.
Mr Minton-Taylor is launching a ‘Fair Deal For Interns’ campaign which will require employers to pay long- term interns the minimum wage and for short-term interns to receive reasonable expenses and a contract determining what they are expected to do during their placement and what the employer will give in return.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60