TIME TO PAY UP
MP renews call for ban on trial shifts after it’s revealed 208 employers fail to cough up £1.2m in unpaid wages
AN SNP MP has issued a renewed call to ban unpaid trial shifts after official statistics showed 208 employers owed more than £1million in unpaid wages.
And almost a third of cases involved staff working without any pay.
Stewart McDonald, who has been campaigning against unpaid trial shifts, has called on the Government to ban the practice after uncovering data on the scale of the problem.
Many potential employees, particularly young people, are asked to work unpaid shifts before being offered work.
But unscrupulous bosses do not follow through with offers of a job.
According to the figures McDonald obtained from the Department for Business, 208 employers were named for failing to pay £1.2million to about
12,000 workers. Unpaid working time, which can include unpaid trial shifts, was a factor in 29 per cent of these cases.
Unpaid trial shifts are legal in the UK and there is no real definition for them.
McDonald said: “The UK Government continues to claim that current enforcement against unpaid work trials is robust enough, yet we continue to see some employers taking advantage of people through unpaid trial shifts.
“While I welcome that government has recognised the problem, any action being taken will only be for those cases that workers have made the Government aware of – too many will continue to slip under the radar.” The Glasgow South MP previously brought forward a Bill to prevent employers from asking job applicants to work for an extended time for free without the promise of a job but the Government prevented the legislation going ahead.
McDonald added: “The culture of unpaid work is a scourge on society and the UK Government must show its willingness to tackle this exploitative practice.
“The only way to ensure it is brought to an end is for the UK Government to support legislation that would ban unpaid trial shifts outright – a fair day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”