Smith affirmed his support for the Intern Aware campaign in a letter to Brasenose JCR, which states, “The consequences for social mobility of allowing unpaid internships to continue as a normal or quasi-normal part of career development are obvious.”
In the letter, Smith also said that he had raised the issue with the government in the past, and that he had written to the Chief Executive of HM Revenue & Customs and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for a second time, asking them to take action on the matter.
Brasenose JCR mandated its President, James Blythe, to write to Andrew Smith at the beginning of Trinity term. The letter asked the MP to back the campaign by Intern Aware.
It stated, “Unpaid internships are damaging to both young people and society as a whole. They exclude those who cannot afford to work for free and entrench regional and class inequalities.
“We would like to see you supporting young people by taking a stand on this important issue.”
In his reply, Andrew Smith wrote, “I strongly share your concerns, and am one of the Parliamentary supporters of the Intern Aware campaign. The issues you raise are ones I have pressed with the government.”
Smith’s reply was well received by Brasenose JCR. Blythe told Cherwell, “I am delighted by Andrew Smith’s prompt and positive response to the JCR’s letter and by his support for the Intern Aware campaign. It is fantastic that Brasenose students have an MP who is on their side on this issue.”
Blythe also condemned unpaid internships as “a major problem for lots of students, and a substantial barrier to social mobility in general.”
Intern Aware campaigns “for interns to be paid at least the national minimum wage”, and considers unpaid internships to “exclude those who can’t afford to work for free.” A poll carried out for the organisation found that 84% of over-35s believed that young family members were unable to afford to take up an unpaid internship.
Intern Aware works with lawyers to win back wages denied to interns. According to Intern Aware’s website, “most interns who are working are entitled to be paid at least the national minimum wage.” It goes on to say, “every time an intern has taken their employer to court for not being paid the minimum wage, they have won.”
One Hertford Geographer told Cherwell, “I for one am glad to hear that an MP has taken this action on behalf of Oxford students. It is good to know that we still have some voices in Parliament, willing to respond to our concerns.”
