The campaign ‘Say No To Unpaid Trial Shifts’ is a Brighton and Hove-based grassroots organisation aiming to end the unfair and unnecessary practice of unpaid trial shifts.
An unpaid trial shift occurs when an employer makes revenue from a prospective employee working for any duration of time. The collective claims that this exploits workers, especially young people working in the hospitality industry.
They said: “Requiring any amount of unpaid work is illegal and immoral”.
The movement was founded in the summer of 2018 by a group of local activists based in Brighton. Using positive, dialogue-based campaign technique, they aim to see the practice of unpaid trial shifts ended in our city and beyond.
The group maintain a live database of their official supporters, if you wish you to become a supporter of this cause, please contact them.
What’s being done?
The council have pledged to look at how they can help end the practice of unpaid trial shifts. From 1 August they will be gathering information from businesses and prospective job applicants to understand the scale and nature of the issue.
Cllr Amanda Evans, Brighton & Hove’s Lead Member for Community Wealth Building said: “No-one should be expected to work for free so we want to collaborate with businesses and partners to put an end to unpaid labour that is unacceptable, unethical and unfair.
“The initiative is consistent with our support of the Brighton & Hove Living Wage campaign and an extension of our commitment to raise standards, celebrate good employers, retain good candidates and ensure all those working in our city can share in the wealth they are helping to create.”
The council have also began to circulate surveys around the city, to encourage people to report businesses and companies who are endorsing unpaid work.
Councillor Evans added: “Our surveys will build on the work of the No Unpaid campaign group by giving us local information that we can use to find practical ways of tackling the issue.”
Targeted communication with students and young people will start in September to encourage them to fill in the applicants survey. To tell of your experiences, please fill out either the business survey, or the workers, students and young people survey.
The No Unpaid campaign group, co-founded by Frank Chamberlain, was started to raise awareness about the unethical nature of unpaid trial shifts. To date, more than 100 businesses have pledged not to undertake this immoral practice.
Mr. Chamberlain said:
“The work of young people is demeaned by the concept that we should be asked to work for free. Too many young people, competing in a saturated job market, feel like they have no choice but to undertake unpaid trial shifts, with no guarantee of a job at the end of it. On some occasions, it has become apparent that employers had no intention of offering a job at all.
“Given so many people, young people and otherwise, rely on a secure income, this practice is both unethical and exploitative. We hear horror stories of nine hour shifts and ridiculous anecdotes of compensation being given in the form of bread, beer and even spices. Even short unpaid trial shifts are time-consuming, and force vulnerable jobseekers into working for free. This is not acceptable in today’s society.”
Featured image: © Wikipedia
