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<p>Existing legislation already bans unpaid work trials that are not part of a legitimate
recruitment process. They are not permitted if they are simply for the financial benefit
of the employer or are excessive in length. An unpaid trial lasting more than one
day is highly likely to be illegal in all but very exceptional circumstances.</p><p>
</p><p>If someone has undertaken an illegal unpaid work trial, I would strongly encourage
them to complain to HMRC, who enforce the minimum wage. HMRC consider every worker
complaint that they receive.</p><p> </p><p>It is never acceptable to underpay workers
and employers who do so do not get off lightly. Where HMRC finds breaches, they order
the employer to repay the workers and pay a penalty to government of up to 200%. Once
HMRC has completed its investigation, it refers each case to BEIS for consideration
for public naming. The Government named 191 employers on 5th August 2021 (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/employers-named-and-shamed-for-paying-less-than-minimum-wage"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/employers-named-and-shamed-for-paying-less-than-minimum-wage</a>).
This includes employers in the Greater Glasgow area who had breaches involving unpaid
work trials.</p>
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