Guardian liberal hypocrisy watch: “Slave Labour” edition

H/T Marc and Guido Fawkes

The Guardian’s Polly Toynbee, “Protest really does work – just look at Tesco and workfare“, Feb. 22, railed against UK companies which use workfare, unpaid work for those who are jobless.

Wrote Toynbee:

Workfare is transparently unfair to most people, substituting slave labour for big companies.

Toynbee celebrated the decision by (UK stores) Sainsbury’s, Waterstones and Matalan to scrap the workfare scheme as a result of the pressure by far-left groups“, and condemned the continued practice by some companies of pressing “people [to work] for free for a rich company.”

Here’s the photo accompanying Toynbee’s essay:

Another Guardian report on the broader issue of unpaid labor, “Interns work – and should be paid, lawyers warn ministers“, by Shiv Malik and James Ball, Nov 4, 2011, opened:

Thousands of unpaid interns could be entitled to compensation after government legal advice emerged suggesting employers are breaking the law by not following national minimum wage rules.

The warning from Whitehall lawyers, seen by the Guardian, comes as growing numbers of companies turn to interns to carry out work that lasts far longer than traditional work experience placements, yet refuse to pay them.

A separate Guardian analysis of a graduate internships job board run by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills reveals that more than half its adverts are for unpaid or expenses-only internships – placements that could breach employment laws.

Interestingly, as Guido Fawkes noted in a recent post, at the Guardian’s “Work for Us” section there was an announcement titled, “Positive Action” scheme, which reads as follows:

The Guardian believes there should be a better representation of our diverse society in journalism, and each summer offers 12 two-week placements for students or graduates from black, Asian and other visible ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds.

Successful applicants will learn about different aspects of the profession, gaining an insight into the workings of the newspaper, website and our multimedia department.

At the end of the two weeks, we offer each participant a chance to come back and spend one more week with the desk that they felt was most useful and interesting for them. The initial two weeks take place over the summer (July – September), the third week can take place at any time after, to suit the desk and the student. During their time here, each student is also assigned a mentor.

Sounds like a great opportunity, doesn’t it? Diversity in action – providing racial and ethnic minorities under-represented in the media with positions at a major UK broadsheet. Who could complain?

Oh, but I forgot one more sentence in the Guardian announcement:

The scheme is unpaid. 

Finally, the report by Malik and Ball included a link to a Guardian page titled, Job scheme internships: Tell us your stories“, which included a form to fill out, asking those exploited by such unpaid work schemes to detail their experiences working for free.

So, we humbly suggest that those ethnic and racial minorities exploited by the Guardian’s unpaid “Positive Action” program take the time and fill out the form and, further, approach their Guardian mentor to demand pay for their labor. 

Or, better, contact Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger (the ultimate proverbial 1%, earning £605,000 in 2010) to demand that his large media empire honor their claim to be the world’s leading liberal voice.

Rusbridger is seen here performing on the piano during a retreat with fellow corporate leaders and CEOs last year – the kind of modest getaway most ordinary folks enjoy.

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