BANISH SLAVERY OF UNPAID WORK TRIALS
AFTER eight gruelling years of this Government’s grim economic policy, at her party’s conference the Prime Minister declared that “austerity is over”.
This may make good headlines but, for people around the UK, it is meaningless and, in one particular case, it falls apart in practice – unpaid work trials.
This unfair practice remains a blight on our employment sector and is exploitative to workers – particularly young people, students and migrants. If people are going to be offered a trial to apply their skills in the hope of securing work, then they should be paid fairly and properly.
Earlier this year, I introduced a Bill to Parliament to outlaw unpaid trials – backed by employers, universities, unions, legal experts and colleagues from all parties. It would have changed lives for millions of workers. Unfortunately, the Government talked out my Bill but the issue will not go away – despite what the Government may wish.
A recent YouGov poll showed that two-thirds of the public are against unpaid work trials, which shows this is an issue people feel strongly about.
More so, the Unpaid Britain study – by Middlesex University and the Trust for London last November – estimated that workers are missing out on £3billion in wages with unpaid trial shifts contributing to this.
We should all be doing what we can to combat this practice. Over the past year, I’ve found instances of employers being caught out offering unpaid work.
From supermarkets such as Aldi, who have disputed this and with whom I disagree, to broadcasters such as the BBC, who confirmed this was indeed happening, unpaid shifts are rife.
My Bill was an opportunity to end such practices and ensure people have the financial, job and household security they deserve.
But the fact the Government talked out the Bill, and their current unwillingness to engage with me on the issue, has shown their true attitude to fair work.
The law in this area is still grey and with the nature of that workforce meaning many are not unionised, the opportunity for testing it in court is often out of their reach.
The Budget is a chance for this Government to prove they really will support those just about managing. The Chancellor could do this by backing a ban on unpaid trials and investing in preventative measures so HMRC can monitor and clamp down on employers who exploit workers.
The culture of unpaid work is a scourge on society and the UK Government must show at least some willingness to tackle it.
If the age of austerity is truly over, this Government have to actually help those who have struggled the most over the past decade, which means ensuring those seeking a job never have to worry about exploitation or loss of wages ever again.