Employers could see rise in disputes from intern regulation

Published on 6 Jul 2010 under category: legal

More employment disputes could arise as interns battle for recognition in the workplace.

A recent report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) called on firms to give interns a "training wage".

This could lead to employment disputes as interns seek some of the same rights as full-time, paid employees.

According to research from the TUC, one in three interns are not paid for their work.

The CIPD is also calling for consideration over additional workplace payments such as sick benefits, as well as regional weightings in pay to reflect higher living costs.

Commenting on the report, Johnny Rich of Realworldmagazine.com, said: "We need a system whereby you can ensure that an internship does deliver a real result for the intern. It is illegal to take on an intern and not to train them.

"We already have the minimum wage for employees, and a lot of interns doing work are actually taking the place of a paid employee and are not getting much out in return. It's ok if you are getting skills or money, or a combination of the two, but if you are not then you are being exploited."

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