“Voluntary” work experience

My friend Colin Marsh has just had an interesting article in the Guardian.  I recommend it. Link here.

He argues that insisting that the able-bodied unemployed be forced to do unpaid work experience, as a condition of getting their dole, is exploitative.

I’m less sure – there are few things more soul destroying than sitting at home collecting dole, and anything which prevents that must be good.  But I’m not going to push the point.  Colin knows what he’s talking about.  He’s temporarily unemployed himself, and not sitting around at home.

What interested me was Colin’s comment when he sent the link.   Apparently the Guardian was happy to take his article, publish it, and earn money from sales and advertising, but they didn’t see fit to pay him!

Clearly they see nothing wrong in unpaid work experience!

Jim Thornton