Petition Fair Internships

We the undersigned propose:
To give all interns the same basic rights as other workers.
In particular:
All interns should either be recognised as temporary staff or, in the case of not-for-profit and charity organisations, volunteers. They should be entitled to the same legal protections and workplace benefits as other workers, including the statutory minimum wage, vacation time, and protection from harassment and arbitrary dismissal.
The hiring of interns should be as transparent and nondiscriminatory as the hiring of full-time employees, and no one should be forced to take an unpaid internship or required to pay in order to work.
The word "internship" should only be applied to opportunities that involve substantial training, mentoring, and getting to know a line of work.

This petition is on behalf of the Young Greens (www.younggreens.org.uk)