Slavery makes a comback

It’s been a while since we have seen any slaves in Guernsey but I wonder if it is due for a comeback.
 
Although supposedly stamped out in the developed world, slavery does still exist. Indeed a form of slavery is making a big comeback in the US and UK so it is only a matter of time before it reaches our shores.
 
I’m talking about “Internships”; the practise of working for someone without pay or conditions in order to gain experience.
 
In the tough labour market of the UK, employers want people with experience which you can only get by doing the job. A sort of “Catch22”.
 
Our ever inventive businessmen though have cracked this seemingly unsolvable problem by expanding on the previous idea known as “Work Experience”.
 
That was where you went and worked for a firm for a short period in order to find out whether that line of work was for you or not.
 
Schools still regularly arrange such placements and they are a valuable contribution by our businesses to our youngsters development.
 
However, the extension of this scheme into “Internships” is another matter entirely.
 
Now we have youngsters working for nothing for an extended period of time and with no security of tenure or any of the other basic rights which were fought for so bitterly many decades ago.
 
Want a good job?
 
Sorry, you haven’t got experience.
 
Want to get experience?
 
Then work for us for nothing.
 
Have you seen the problem yet?
 
You can only afford to work for nothing if you have some money behind you which effectively cuts out the exact swathe of jobseekers who could really do with such jobs.
 
Daddy’s influence has always been a factor in obtaining a good job but at least potential talent and aptitude used to count for something. Now it all comes down to whether you can afford to work for nothing in order to build up experience.
 
In the UK it’s bad enough that university education now comes down to how much you can afford (or afford to go into debt). Now you can’t even begin to recoup that cost by getting a good job after your studies without putting in a few weeks or months of slave labour.
 
From the employers point of view this is a fabulous scheme. The pick of the best candidates, a risk free period to assess them, and enough bodies to fulfil whatever project you wish to take on. Zero effect on your bottom line and as little training as you wish to provide. What’s not to like?
 
It’s only a problem for the great unwashed and who wants them anyway?
 
So next time you hear someone talking about Internships, just make sure to call it by it’s right name.
 
In the meantime you can place a bet on how long it takes for slavery to reappear in Guernsey.