Living wage MP offers unpaid job

28 June 2011 Last updated at 17:02 GMT By Victoria King BBC News, Politics reporter Lyn Brown is seeking "an intelligent and enthusiastic volunteer" Campaigners say it is "unacceptable" that an MP who has campaigned for the living wage is recruiting an unpaid worker for her House of Commons office.

Lyn Brown, Labour MP for West Ham, is seeking a "voluntary Westminster worker" for duties including policy research and dealing with constituents.

Gus Baker, from Intern Aware, said she was guilty of "hypocrisy".

Ms Brown said she "would like to pay everyone" in her office, but "did not have the resources to do so".

The Labour Party said staffing decisions were a matter for individual MPs.

Ms Brown's official website states: "Since her election in 2005, Lyn has campaigned tirelessly for a living wage for all."

The living wage is an hourly salary rate - higher than the minimum wage - that campaigners say is necessary to allow a family to meet their basic needs.

In London - including Ms Brown's constituency - it is currently ?8.30.

'Exploitation'

The job advertisement, posted on 15 June, seeks "an intelligent and enthusiastic volunteer" to work in "a busy Westminster office".

Tasks include "answering the telephone, dealing with constituent enquiries and provision of additional clerical support".

The recruit will also be "involved in policy research and the drafting of letter and press releases", and must have "excellent written and IT skills".

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It's absolutely unacceptable for MPs to replace full time, salaried workers with unpaid staff”

End Quote Gus Baker Intern Aware While the advert states that hours are "flexible", there is no time limit placed on the post and no expenses offered to cover food or travel.

A Westminster source told the BBC News website that the volunteer - who has already been recruited - will be a direct replacement for an existing, salaried staff member who is leaving for another job elsewhere.

The volunteer is already shadowing the departing member of staff so as to be able to take on all of their existing duties, the source said.

Mr Baker told the BBC it was clear from the list of requirements in the advert that Ms Brown was looking for a proper member of staff.

"It's absolutely unacceptable for MPs to replace full time, salaried workers with unpaid staff. That's the top and bottom line," he said.

"But that Lyn Brown campaigns for the living wage - and has campaigned for the minimum wage in the past - makes this a double hypocrisy.

"What I want to ask her is - how would someone in her constituency from a low income background be able to take up that opportunity?

"The answer is they couldn't, so how can she possibly justify that? It is manifestly unfair."

Ms Brown said it was not true that she was replacing a salaried staff member with an intern.

"I would like to pay everyone who volunteers for me and who is ultimately seeking a wage. The reality is that I do not have the resources to do so," she said in a statement.

"Those who come to me without a wage and seeking paid employment receive expenses and experience and invariably go on to either work in my office or find paid work elsewhere, within a six month period."

Poorer backgrounds

The issue of interns in Westminster has come to the fore recently after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he wanted to ban all informal and unpaid placements.

He said the practice rewarded those with wealth and personal connections and excluded potential applicants from poorer backgrounds or from outside London.

The w4MP website currently lists several unpaid internships of varying lengths.

Among them is Conservative David Burrowes MP, who is looking for someone prepared to work full time for him for 10 months in return for food and travel expenses.

Liberal Democrat Roger Williams is looking for someone for at least three months, again expenses only.

Former Labour minister Hazel Blears has set up the Speaker's Parliamentary Placements scheme, which from September, will offer paid internships with MPs to applicants from poorer backgrounds from across the UK.

Labour leader Ed Miliband attended the launch party for the scheme, telling guests that he fully supported efforts to open up Westminster to the less well-off.

During the Labour Leadership contest, Mr Miliband also signed Intern Aware's pledge promising that if elected, he would campaign for the Minimum Wage Act to be fully enforced to cover interns.

He said he had not personally taken on any unpaid staff and had encouraged other colleagues within his party to do the same. He added that Labour would "look closely at this issue in our policy review".

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NSPCC offers text help over abuse

16 May 2011 Last updated at 12:34 GMT The NSPCC hopes that the speed and immediacy of a text will make it easy for people to get in touch The NSPCC is offering a text service to encourage people to report suspected cases of child abuse.

Research by the children's charity suggests that one-in-five people said they were concerned about a child but 55% did nothing about it unless they reported concerns immediately.

The NSPCC said the free number - 88858 - would be available around the clock.

The charity also announced that psychologist Linda Papadopoulos would be its helpline ambassador.

John Cameron, head of the NSPCC helpline, said the hope was for members of the public to be the "eyes and ears" for social workers.

He said: "We must pick up on the signs of child abuse as early as possible. Social workers cannot be in the community all the time."

Anyone who sends a text to the new number will receive a message back confirming delivery immediately.

An NSPCC counsellor will then text back within three hours, offering advice and asking for more information on the situation.

Linda Papadopoulos is fronting the text campaign

They will also confirm whether they have passed the information on to the police or social services.

Dr Papadopoulos said: "As a psychologist I know how easily people talk themselves out of doing anything. They may think it's none of their business, or they've made a mistake, or they simply can't decide what to do."

Dr Papadopoulos rejected claims that the service would invite malicious messages, saying that the counsellors know how to "sift through real and fake".

In the NSPCC's poll, almost half of adults (48%) who had been concerned about a child had not acted straight away because they were not sure what to do or who to call.

Some said they were worried about being overheard (12%) or did not want to speak to someone on the phone (10%). Others were afraid of retaliation or were anxious about making a mistake.

The NSPCC will pilot the text service until December of this year.

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