Why Doesn’t the United Nations Pay Its Interns?

The United Nations is in many ways a benchmark progressive institution. Its numerous declarations set the international standard for human rights, and the frequent collaboration among its 193 member states ensures a large measure of peace and stability around the world.

Yet on February 20 hundreds of UN interns in cities ranging from New York to Geneva participated in the first-ever grassroots action to address a decidedly anti-progressive policy: unpaid internships.

Federal proposals on unpaid internships ‘galling,’ advocates say

The advocacy group representing Canadian students and interns has withdrawn from the federal government’s consultations on how to improve protections for young workers because the proposals will allow unpaid internships, the Star has learned.

If implemented, the changes to the Canada Labour Code would permit unpaid internships of up to four months in federally regulated sectors like banking and telecommunications — so long as the position is “primarily for the benefit of the intern” and does not replace a paid position.

The 'opportunity' to work for free

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz has a suggestion for the 200,000 young Canadians who are un-or-underemployed: offer your services for free. Brilliant! Why haven't young people thought of this already? What possible basic human need for sustenance and dignity could be keeping them from working for free?

Encouraging Youth To Engage in Unpaid Work Is a Recipe For Exploitation

Almost 400,000 young Canadians are officially unemployed. Their unemployment rate (13.5 per cent in September) is more than double the national average. True youth unemployment is much higher, if we count those who have given up looking for work (and hence disappear from the official statistics). For the lucky ones who have a job, almost half work part-time, many in precarious short-term positions. Youth participation in the labour market is historically weak, and has actually deteriorated since the economic recovery began in 2009.

7 Reasons Why Working for Free Is Great for Your Career

Recent comments by Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz have stirred up a debate that has been percolating for years, but is especially loud during lean economic times. Addressing the issue of high rates of unemployed young people in Canada, Poloz commented that he thinks they should consider working for free.

Judging from the response to his comments, you'd think Poloz suggested they should all jump in a lake. Of course, the ensuing outrage is no news to anyone who has worked for free. People think you're nuts to work for nothing, and love to argue the point, often suggesting that only people who can actually afford to work for free benefit from it.

Bank Of Canada's Stephen Poloz: Long-Term Jobless Youth Should Work For Free

Labour lawyers and economists are criticizing Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz over comments he made suggesting that youth work for free in order to avoid the “scarring” of long-term joblessness.

Poloz cited the problem of graduates living in their parents' basements, unable to find work.

Unpaid Academic Internships Called Exploitation By Students

Some students who work long, unpaid college or university internships while paying high tuition fees say they feel exploited and that it’s time they got paid.

While unpaid internships have become a dirty concept in some parts of our economy, salary-free academic internships get a free pass because they happen within the confines of a college or university program where students learn in a real working environment for school credit. These internships are often known as practicums, work terms, work placements or clinical rotations.

TFWs, Unpaid Interns, Cash Hoarding: Stop Being So Cheap, Corporate Canada Told

OTTAWA - What's plaguing corporate Canada?

In recent weeks, Canadian businesses — sitting on historically massive cash reserves — have been under fire for using temporary foreign workers or unpaid interns, and chided by political leaders for failing to raise wages or invest in employee training.

They've been maligned even by the traditionally business-friendly Fraser Institute for collecting billions of dollars in so-called corporate welfare for decades.

Unpaid Interns In Canada May Number As Many As 300,000: Report

OTTAWA - Preliminary findings from an upcoming study on internships in Canada show that the majority of interns are young women who make less than the provincial minimum wage — if they're paid at all.

The study, to be released soon by two researchers at the University of Victoria and the Canadian Intern Association, is aimed at determining the scope of unpaid internships in Canada amid a growing uproar about the practice both here and abroad.

Internship regulations need 'a more co-ordinated effort'

When Vancouver's Fairmount Waterfront Hotel advertised last month for an intern to bus tables, labour groups and media commentators questioned if unpaid internships are exploitative.

As the number of internships available in Canada rises, it's critical to look at how governments protect youth in the transition from school to work, says Andrew Langille, a Toronto lawyer specializing in youth and workplace law.

Unpaid bus person internship offered at Vancouver hotel

An ad seeking unpaid interns to bus tables at Vancouver's Fairmont Waterfront Hotel has sparked a debate about whether unpaid internships take advantage of students.

The ad was circulated on Twitter and was reportedly posted on the hotel's career section briefly before it was taken down.

"Exceptional service and cuisine are hallmarks of The Fairmont Waterfront dining experience," the ad reads. "As a Busperson, you will take pride in the integral role you play in supporting your Food and Beverage Colleagues and 'setting the stage' for a truly memorable meal."

Training or work? Unpaid interns want companies to pay up

Unpaid interns agree to work free in exchange for training and job prospects, but a growing number of them say employers aren’t living up to their side of the bargain.

In recent months, former interns in the U.S. have won several high-profile lawsuits for back wages, spurring a growing backlash here in Canada.

Jainna Patel, 24, a math and statistics graduate from McMaster University, filed a federal labour complaint against Bell Mobility after spending five weeks in its Professional Management Program (PMP) in Mississauga.

Interns Face 'Patchwork' Of Rules, Even On Parliament Hill

Estimates of the number of unpaid interns working in Canada range from 100,000 to 300,000, but the federal government's Labour Code doesn't even contain the word "intern."

"While the Labour Code does not specifically address internships, it protects the rights of an employee to be paid for work that is conducted," a spokesperson for Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said in an email. "An employee can file a complaint for unpaid wages, overtime and vacation pay to the labour program."

The grey area that exists around unpaid internships is partially due to the fact that labour is a provincial responsibility, and only three provinces have drawn up regulations concerning interns. But there is no federal policy that applies to the growing culture of young people who work for no money, hoping to get a foot in the door of paid employment.

Unpaid internships exploit 'vulnerable generation'

At least 100,000 young Canadians are working as unpaid interns — with an unknown number of others missing out on key, early work experience because they cannot afford to go without a paycheque.

Liberal MP Scott Brison is on a mission to raise awareness of the issue. He's calling on the federal government to measure the scope of the unpaid workforce, identify acceptable unpaid work placements and legislate changes to protect an increasingly "vulnerable generation."

Desperate graduates work for free

Pay: Zero.

Benefits: None.

Experience: It varies. Some interns acquire job skills; others run errands, answer phones, file, photocopy and deliver documents.

Chances of being hired: minimal. Some employers explicitly say that an internship will not lead to a job; most hint it might or insinuate that graduates won’t get a foot in the door without proving they’re hungry enough to work for free.

Unpaid internships: the most precarious work of all

Anya Oberdorf has a university degree, a college certificate and experience with two employers in the publishing industry, but still can’t find a paying job. She spent more than a year working two unpaid internships, neither of which led to gainful employment.

After working part-time in a gourmet food store to pay the bills, she left to focus on finding work in her field. Though she’s been able to secure a few freelance editing jobs, the elusive salaried position still eludes her.

Lawyer Says Many Unpaid Internships Are Exploitative, Illegal

THE CANADIAN PRESS -- TORONTO - Young Canadians eager to launch their careers say they're under mounting pressure to take unpaid internships that promise valuable experience and a foot in the door but rarely lead to permanent work.

Unpaid internships are replacing entry-level jobs, experts say, propelled in part by a recession that has forced companies to tighten their belts and graduates to fight for any advantage in the job market.

But some of these positions are illegal, says Andrew Langille, an employment lawyer in Toronto who has researched labour standards and case law related to internships.

"I would say upwards of 95 per cent of unpaid internships (in Ontario) are probably illegal," because interns are doing work typically performed by paid employees, he says.

"If you have an intern making coffee or researching articles . . . then they're an employee, not an intern, and they should be getting minimum wage and all the other protection that comes with the Employment Standards Act."

Companies offering unpaid internships say they're part of a sweeping shift in workplace culture, one that rewards "hungry" workers willing to go above and beyond their job descriptions.

But many young grads, while willing to pay their dues at the office, say they can't afford to work for free, particularly while saddled with student loans.

"There's people who say young people expect everything right now, they want this great-paying job," says Heather Bellingham, a 26-year-old from Oshawa, Ont., who has held a string of unpaid internships since graduating from a film and television college program. "I don't expect a lot — I would love minimum wage."

Setting and enforcing employment standards such as minimum wage falls to the provinces, except for federally regulated industries such a aviation and telecommunications.

Yet none of the provinces seem to have rules that directly govern internships. Instead, they have a patchwork of regulations mostly meant for trainees and volunteers that lay out when employers aren't required to pay minimum wage.

Under Ontario law, "trainees" can work for free under specific circumstances. The training must be similar to what's given in a vocational school. It must be for the benefit of the trainee, with little to no benefit for the employer. The trainee can't displace paid employees and isn't guaranteed a job. He or she must be warned that the position is unpaid.

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Source: Huffington