Are Unpaid Internships Legal In Canada - Essay Example

Illegalize Internship in Canada Internship is believed to contribute significantly to the future productivity of an individual in the working environment. This is in relation to the fact that it is associated with the gaining of experience by an intern. However, it is apparent that many organizations misuse internships. They use them as a platform for acquiring free labor from unrecognized employees in terms of payment. Students and new graduates are the main victims of the impacts of unpaid internships. In relation with this assertion, the paper aims at expounding on the reasons as to why unpaid internships should be illegal in Canada. In addressing this, the paper will explain on how young people waste a lot of their time as unpaid laborers before securing a job as well how unpaid internships affect the job market. It will also expound on the exploitations interns undergo in their working environment in addition to the wastage of their savings. According to Schwartz (2013), long period of unpaid internships are common in politics, technology, as well as fashion and journalism industries. In tandem with his assertion, it is arguable that majority of the industries employ employees after they have contributed significant time in them as unpaid laborers. With this practice, it is evident that those below the new employed employee will work for significant time without any pay. As if this is not enough, some interns are forced to pay for working for free in organizations. It is also apparent that majority of the interns consist of young graduates and college students. These young people often have very little cash for survival. Forcing them to spend the little they have on fare as well as upkeep in order to meet the demands of an organization is very disturbing. Majority of the students use all the savings that they made in part-time jobs in new un-paying jobs. Thus, it is crucial for the government of Canada to regard unpaid internships as illegal practices. Unpaid internships affect the job market significantly. The majority of employers value interns to qualified persons. This is in relation with the fact that most organizations in Canada do not pay interns; interns offer free labor (Schwartz 2013). In relation with this, qualified employees are left for interns who are less informed about some job requirements. Additionally, unpaid internships are associated with the skewing of the job market. Only the wealthiest manage to apply for internships leading to the loss of potential employees who can afford to buy their way to organizations. According to Schwartz (2013), for one to work for free, he or she needs to have other sources of income which can be from parents or another paying job. This affects not only people who cannot sustain unpaid jobs, but also employers who lose a good number of qualified applicants whose parents cannot manage to provide support. Young and inexperienced interns are vulnerable to oppressions and abuse. Such employees often work under exploitive working conditions because they fear to complain. According to Schwartz (2013), interns work under abusive working conditions because they believe sustaining the oppressive working condition can lead to the securing of a job in the same organization. For instance, it is evident that interns are mostly used as messengers in organizations. They fetch coffee for their seniors in addition to doing the roles of their seniors in their presence or absence without any reward. Some of the interns are also forced to work for extra hours in the organizations in order to secure their relationship with employers. Additionally, interns work with two things in mind; either to get hired by the organization they are working in or to get a good reference letter that will aid them to get jobs in different organizations. As a result of this, interns avoid to complain at all cost in order to secure their future. Companies earn significantly from the works of the interns. For instance, Sugarman (2011) argues that most of publishes made by Salon, a publishing website, belong to unpaid interns. In connection with Sugarman’s claim, one can affirm that organizations make good profit from interns. Such paying services need to be rewarded by payment and not free labor. Sugarman further argues that poor observance of acts such as “Fair Labor Standards Act” lead to many trainees’ labor being exploited in the name of not only networking, but also boosting their resume. Additionally, Munroe (2014) asserts that the law defines an employee as “a person who performs for the employer who exercises a high degree of control and direction over and gains an economic advantage from that work.” From this definition, it is evident that the unpaid interns in Salon Company are employees because the company benefits from them economically. Additionally, Munroe argues that interns are often dictated by their bosses; they do not decide on when to come and go, and the companies often benefit from their controlled availability. Unfortunately, this culture has taken roots and it will affect generation and generation to come if amicable steps are not taken towards eradicating unpaid internships in Canada. The displacement of employees in some of the organizations is as a result of the high number of unpaid interns. According to Sagan (2013), the valuable experience as well as training provided by unpaid internship has become problematic in many organizations; it has led to the replacement of paid Canadian workers. In support of this, Sagan (2013) provides Toronto as an example of a company that provided eight interns within one and a half years in order to take advantage of young interns at the cost of paid workers. The presence of the interns led to the loss of the receptionist; interns were assigned to sit at the front of the office and greet guests as receptionists. From this claim, it is true that the use of unpaid internships in many organizations is likely to lead to many paid workers losing their jobs. According to Munroe (2014), unpaid internship is supposed to be offered only to students. Offering such internship to graduates is against the law. However, it is evident that many employers in Canada offer unpaid internships to new graduates. Additionally, the working of an individual as an unpaid intern requires the observance of the respective law in addition to the provision of the minimum wage. Failure of observing this often leads to some organizations facing backlashes in popular websites. In connection with this, it is true that the negative publicity taints the names of organizations that hire unpaid interns. Thus, it is advisable for companies to think twice before hiring employees. In conclusion, internship is offered by companies to young graduates and students in order to network them in addition to providing them with skills. Most organizations value unpaid internships because the interns provide them with free labor. Unfortunately, unpaid internships is associated with the oppression of interns. Majority of the unpaid interns are forced to work for a long duration before getting a job or a reference letter. Unpaid interns also get abused by their employers without complaining for the fear of their future. The hiring of unpaid interns also leads to the dismissal of paid workers from their jobs. Additionally, unpaid internship has skewed job opportunities. Majority of the potential and qualified people are ruled out by the demands for hiring an unpaid intern. Despite all these assertions, it is evident that internship is also good. It exposes new graduates and students to working environment in addition to networking them for the future careers. Interns also gain experience through working with organizations. However, it is recommendable for unpaid internship to be declared illegal in Canada in order to save young graduates and students from employers’ abuse. Works Cited Munroe, Christopher. Canada: Are Unpaid Internships Legal In Canada? Mondaq Connecting Knowledge & People. Web. 21 June 2015. http://www.mondaq.com/canada/x/295744/employee+rights+labour+relations/Are+Unpa id+Internships+Legal+In+Canada Sagan, Aleksandra. Unpaid Internships Exploit 'Vulnerable Generation.' CBC News. Web. 21 June 2015. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/unpaid-internships-exploit-vulnerable- generation-1.1332839 Schwartz, Zane. Campus Life: Unpaid Internships are Just Wrong. The Globe and Mail. Web. 21 June 2015. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/unpaid- internships-are-just-wrong/article11681377/ Sugarman, Jacob. “Intern Nation”: Are We Exploiting a Generation of Workers? Salon. Web. 21 June 2015. http://www.salon.com/2011/05/29/intern_nation_interview/ Read More