No end to controversy over ‘unpaid work experience’ for unemployed
30 March 2012
Controversy about the government’s use of ‘unpaid’ work experience programmes to help the unemployment into work has continued unabated.
Mon, 13 Feb 2012
Controversy about the government’s use of ‘unpaid’ work experience programmes to help the unemployment into work has continued unabated.
The government believes that the cycle of no work experience and no work can be broken by government-led schemes, however opponents argue that forcing the unemployed to take up work experience opportunities with employers or lose their benefits is not the answer.
The controversy over the schemes reignited after Sainsbury’s denied media reports that it has withdrawn its support for the government’s work experience programmes by telling its branch managers to stop taking on jobseekers under the work experience scheme.
A report in last Friday’s Guardian claimed that Sainsbury’s had withdrawn from a scheme under which some unemployed people must work for six months unpaid or face losing their benefits.
However, a spokesperson for Sainsbury’s tells Recruiter: “We do not have any arrangements in place with the government in relation to their work programmes. We run a number of our own initiatives to help people into work and into permanent jobs at Sainsbury’s.
“All our programmes are for four weeks or less and are all linked to real jobs should the person do well and decide to work at Sainsbury’s. Last year over 4,300 colleagues gained a permanent position from us in this way.”
Last week Waterstones book chain announced it had pulled out of the scheme because it did not want to “encourage work for no pay”.
However, the government received support from Tesco, who said that more than 300 young people have found employment as a result of the work experience schemes so far.
A Tesco spokesperson tells Recruiter: “We take our responsibility as Britain’s biggest private sector employer seriously and are playing our part to help tackle unemployment in these challenging times.
“We are participating in a government-led work experience scheme to help give young people valuable experience of the workplace and over 300 young people have gained a job at Tesco as a result of this scheme so far.”
Work experience schemes are widely used in the retail sector. According to The Guardian, Boots, Tesco, Asda, Primark, Argos, TK Maxx, Poundland and the Arcadia group are among those retailers that use them.
Under the government’s work experience scheme, jobseekers can be expected to work for businesses for 30 hours a week, for eight weeks, without pay and can have their benefits removed if they withdraw.
The government has come under pressure from USDAW, the shop workers’ union, to end long-term unpaid labour for young unemployed people.
John Hannett, USDAW general secretary, says: “USDAW is not opposed to schemes that genuinely aim to give young people appropriate work experience or help long-term unemployed people get back into work, but schemes should be voluntary, participants should receive the rate for the job, and there needs to be transparent checks and balances in place.
“The unemployment crisis is never going to be solved by forcing people to work for nothing. What the country needs is a proper strategy for jobs and growth.”
Earlier this year, the government’s efforts to get the unemployed into work attracted controversy when an unemployed graduate issued judicial review proceedings against the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Cait Reilly claimed she had been “required to carry out two weeks of unpaid labour at discount retailer Poundland”.
According to her solicitors, Public Interest Lawyers, Reilly had been volunteering at a museum when told that participation in a six-week training scheme, which included a two-week, unpaid retail placement, was “mandatory”, and that she would lose her benefits if she failed to take part.
Controversy about the government’s use of ‘unpaid’ work experience programmes to help the unemployment into work has continued unabated.
The government believes that the cycle of no work experience and no work can be broken by government-led schemes, however opponents argue that forcing the unemployed to take up work experience opportunities with employers or lose their benefits is not the answer.
The controversy over the schemes reignited after Sainsbury’s denied media reports that it has withdrawn its support for the government’s work experience programmes by telling its branch managers to stop taking on jobseekers under the work experience scheme.
A report in last Friday’s Guardian claimed that Sainsbury’s had withdrawn from a scheme under which some unemployed people must work for six months unpaid or face losing their benefits.
However, a spokesperson for Sainsbury’s tells Recruiter: “We do not have any arrangements in place with the government in relation to their work programmes. We run a number of our own initiatives to help people into work and into permanent jobs at Sainsbury’s.
“All our programmes are for four weeks or less and are all linked to real jobs should the person do well and decide to work at Sainsbury’s. Last year over 4,300 colleagues gained a permanent position from us in this way.”
Last week Waterstones book chain announced it had pulled out of the scheme because it did not want to “encourage work for no pay”.
However, the government received support from Tesco, who said that more than 300 young people have found employment as a result of the work experience schemes so far.
A Tesco spokesperson tells Recruiter: “We take our responsibility as Britain’s biggest private sector employer seriously and are playing our part to help tackle unemployment in these challenging times.
“We are participating in a government-led work experience scheme to help give young people valuable experience of the workplace and over 300 young people have gained a job at Tesco as a result of this scheme so far.”
Work experience schemes are widely used in the retail sector. According to The Guardian, Boots, Tesco, Asda, Primark, Argos, TK Maxx, Poundland and the Arcadia group are among those retailers that use them.
Under the government’s work experience scheme, jobseekers can be expected to work for businesses for 30 hours a week, for eight weeks, without pay and can have their benefits removed if they withdraw.
The government has come under pressure from USDAW, the shop workers’ union, to end long-term unpaid labour for young unemployed people.
John Hannett, USDAW general secretary, says: “USDAW is not opposed to schemes that genuinely aim to give young people appropriate work experience or help long-term unemployed people get back into work, but schemes should be voluntary, participants should receive the rate for the job, and there needs to be transparent checks and balances in place.
“The unemployment crisis is never going to be solved by forcing people to work for nothing. What the country needs is a proper strategy for jobs and growth.”
Earlier this year, the government’s efforts to get the unemployed into work attracted controversy when an unemployed graduate issued judicial review proceedings against the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Cait Reilly claimed she had been “required to carry out two weeks of unpaid labour at discount retailer Poundland”.
According to her solicitors, Public Interest Lawyers, Reilly had been volunteering at a museum when told that participation in a six-week training scheme, which included a two-week, unpaid retail placement, was “mandatory”, and that she would lose her benefits if she failed to take part.
