Unemployed graduate sues ministers for being 'forced' to stack shelves in Poundland

[d000hg]

Presumably I could offer one of those comp sci graddies that can't get a job a few weeks unpaid experience as my lacky and get them to do all the tedious tulip I don't like.

If you had a proper business then I suppose so. That would actually be useful experience though, and would not be a bad thing at all. Work experience on a till doing something undergrads do for extra cash before graduating is a joke.

I think she has a point. She was already doing unpaid work experience in a museum, which presumably has some relevance to her degree and ultimately will help her get career.

Skivvying for two weeks for free isn't going to help anyone except poundland.

Seems fair enough expecting the unemployed to take the opportunity of work experience, but she was / is already proactively doing this - sounds like an inflexible policy aimed at the workshy and applied without discrimination.

Definitely. It's simply a case of the system being inflexible.

I see that Poundland, being quite a large business, have quite a lot of opportunities for graduates to get on in life; Home - Poundland Careers Website

Perhaps she should speak to the HR people about training and progression, and just be glad she's got her foot in the door at a major employer instead of considering herself so bleeding superior.

How is stacking shelves "a foot in the door" for a proper job at the company. They should give her a proper WE placement doing something useful, and save menial placements for those who really need to be trained how to work in the first place.

I am surprised Mich is endorsing working without pay

[BrilloPad]

The UK has to get used to its new world status. People should be grateful to have any sort of work atall.

[d000hg]

The UK has to get used to its new world status. People should be grateful to have any sort of work atall.

Yes, if it pays. I agree a graduate should not turn down a crap job if they can't find something suitable after a shortish period, but being made to work for free stacking shelves, under the pretence of "work experience" is daft.

[AtW]

Why Poundland gets away with not paying anything for this work as it seems suggested? Surely sueing it for not paying minimum wage would be more appropriate.

[The Spartan]

Why Poundland gets away with not paying anything for this work as it seems suggested? Surely sueing it for not paying minimum wage would be more appropriate.

I agree, they make tons of cash their stores are always busy. Surely they could afford to pay her for the two weeks

[MarillionFan]

And who's paying for the legal challenge??

We already know the answer to that, the rug munching freeloader.

[BrilloPad]

Yes, if it pays. I agree a graduate should not turn down a crap job if they can't find something suitable after a shortish period, but being made to work for free stacking shelves, under the pretence of "work experience" is daft.

If you study geology then what do you expect? Should have studied something useful.

[Mich the Tester]

If you study geology then what do you expect? Should have studied something useful.

Yep, she should have done Meedjah Studies.

[The Spartan]

How much do graduates have to earn before they have to start paying their student loan back?

[doomage]

She should move to Australia, the mining companies out there are always looking for geologists.

And the mines are in the kind of backwater where men haven't seen a "Sheila" for months and are probably desperate enough that they, you know, "would".