The Galleon - Portsmouth's Official Student Newspaper

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the National Union of Students (NUS) launched a brand new campaign on the 13th of February to help protect interns.

The main aims of the campaign are to ensure the fair treatment of interns and to eradicate any exploitation that can be found in any internship schemes. It is believed that many employers take advantage of graduates’ desperation to find work in this economic meltdown. They also fear that interns are not properly educated on topics like unpaid work and national minimum wage rules are.

It has also been announced that the TUC will also be launching a new ‘Rights for interns’ Smartphone application. The phone app can be downloaded to any Apple or Android phone completely free of charge. TUC have incorporated numerous features to certify; general guidance on work rights, minimum wage rights and help on evaluating their own internships or ones they are considering.

TUC Deputy General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: “Internships can offer a kick-start to a career that many young people value. But as more and more graduates are being forced to turn to internships in place of traditional entry level jobs, we’re concerned that a growing number of interns are at risk of real exploitation.”

With support from both the TUC and NUS, it is hopeful that many companies involved in this kind of mistreatment will revise their policies to guarantee fair treatment to all of their employees.