Bullying of interns

Evidence of the internship explosion can be seen across the British economy, but the worst offender is the media industry, where interns are “substitutes for what in other sectors would be regarded as functions carried out by mainstream paid employees” (Fair Access to the Professions, BIS, 2012). The practice of treating interns as dispensable “free labour” lends itself to hidden abusive working practices, because of the intern’s need to please the employer, their lack of status, visibility or protection. A stark illustration was provided by the decision in 2012 of a young female intern at The Sun to strip naked for the paper’s front page, to recreate naked photos of Prince Harry. When the intern claimed to be a “willing” participant, NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet commented that requesting an intern to carry out the task was “highly inappropriate”, asking: “What would have happened if she had said no?”

Bullying and dignity at work are a priority for the NUJ, which has produced a range of materials to support reps and negotiators, including a booklet, Stop bullying: Challenging bullies and achieving dignity at work, detailing what amounts to bullying, where and when it is likely to take place and how those affected and their reps should deal with it (www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=858&string=bullying)