It is now two years since the debate on my Bill that aimed to ban unfair, unpaid work trials. A Bill that I really believed could change lives, particularly those most vulnerable to precarious work.
That is why it is still so bitter that the UK Government talked out the Bill.
Since the Bill was talked out, the Government has been unable to tell me how many people are being asked to complete unpaid work trials, how much, if any, money has been recouped from HMRC as a result of unpaid work trials.
Additionally, I’m still hearing horror stories from the public who are being asked to work hours unpaid, without knowing if they’ll even get the job, if there even is one available.
I’ve also been contacted by companies – who were called out for offering unpaid work trials – desperately trying to explain their position, without actually committing to stamp out this exploitative practice. Unpaid trial shifts are still exploiting workers.
Whilst I am pleased that, following pressure from the Bill, the UK Government saw fit to publish guidance on unpaid work trials, I am afraid it does not go far enough. The guidance remains too vague, and the law too grey for there to be effective action taken to fully stamp out unpaid trials.
If people are going to be offered a trial period where they apply their skills in the hope of securing work then they should all be paid fairly and properly.
That is why I am still firmly of the view that we should have a full ban on unpaid work trials.
At the least, further investment and support for preventative measures is needed, such as giving HMRC the powers to penalise all companies that advertise unpaid work trials and ensuring workers who have been asked to complete unpaid shifts are all paid back for the work they have done.
The fact remains that unpaid trial shifts contribute to an estimated £3billion in missing wages every year, and this wrong must be made right.
Public opinion remains firmly against these exploitative practices.
A poll by YouGov just before my Bill was heard showed two thirds of the public were against unpaid work trials, and a petition calling for an end to these practices company reached over 140,000 signatures.
I was so disappointed the Bill didn’t make it through Parliament, but I am certainly not giving up the fight and stand firmly with the public on this issue.
I am still of the view that we need to tighten current legislation to end exploitative, unpaid trial shifts for workers, and I shall continue to call on the Government to bring an end to such practices.
I’ve now been saying it for two years: a fair day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.
- Stewart McDonald is MP for Glasgow South.
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