CHARITIES that employ unpaid interns are in danger of creating an elitist workforce, a new report has claimed.
The UK’s biggest trade union has said that charities should stop confusing internships with volunteering.
Unite has joined with the campaigning organisation Intern Aware to publish a report calling on charities to pay their interns the national minimum wage. This currently stands at £6.19 an hour for those over 21.
The report, Interns in the voluntary sector – time to end exploitation, states: “Unpaid internships in the third sector breeds elitism, and only provides guaranteed access to jobs for those who can afford to work for free for anything from three to 12 months.
“As a result of this elitism and inaccessibility, the sector is losing out on talented, passionate and committed young people, and instead runs the risk of becoming a sector reserved for those from wealthy backgrounds.”
Unite, which has 60,000 members in the not for profit sector, said that charities should use the example of responsible third-sector employers and programmes, such as Third Sector Internships Scotland, which generally pays interns the Living Wage.
In the report, Sally Kosky, Unite national officer for the not-for-profit sector and Gus Baker, Intern Aware’s co-director said: “The UK is at risk of creating a society that discriminates against those who are unable to intern for free for long periods of time.
“Structured, paid internships and training schemes are better for young people and are better value for employers, who will get higher quality and more motivated applicants.”
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