Alex Salmond is criticised and his office reported by Intern Aware to HMRC's Minimum Wage enforcement team for offering unpaid internship, is this another example of how there is no such thing as inclusiveness in the SNP for working class people under his leadership?

Dear All

It can’t have escaped your notice that Alex Salmond and his SNP Cabinet have effectively abandoned ship to chase the independence dream.

Currently that has turned into a nightmare.

As part of that process, people who should be helped have been left in the lurch.

So, what’s Plan B?

No plan B to get someone to do his job?

Salmond is looking for an unpaid intern for his constituency office.

A previous employee of Salmond was Alex McLeod who was caught doing election fraud.

Salmond wants a student to work for free on constituency casework.

So, you could ask why is he not willing to do the job he is paid for, why lump it on to someone else?

Independence.

The voluntary post advertised through Aberdeen University careers service, so this raises the question, was it advertised so that older people could apply?

If not does mean Alex Salmond practices discrimination?

Or if he didn’t do it does his staff practice discrimination?

The Scottish National Party has form on not being inclusive regarding offering opportunities.

Some time ago I took Humza Yousaf to task on why a post was only advertised for young people in the SNP.

His answer wasn’t good enough.

You may have also noticed that Alex Salmond likes to surround himself for the cameras with young people around.

This is to try and appear that he has a connection with the youth of today.

The reality is that the youth of today are rejecting him as indyref debate after debate at schools and universities comes back with a resounding No vote.

Alex Salmond is married to a woman old enough to be his mother, how dynamic and happening is that?

Anyway, the move to get cheap labour has been rightly condemned by political opponents and campaigners.

In an embarrassment for Salmond, the pressure group Intern Aware reported the advert to the taxman.

Hooray.

They have requested an inquiry into whether the role should pay the minimum wage.

It should and also travel expenses should be paid.

Intern Aware campaigns against "exploitative, exclusive and unfair" unpaid internships, they are doing a good job.

Under UK employment law, an intern would have to be paid if he or she is classed as a worker rather than a volunteer by the taxman.

In this case, given the person is doing caseworker; I would say they are clearly an employee and as such should be paid.

Chris Hares of Intern Aware said:

"Unpaid internships exclude the vast majority of young people who can't afford to work for free”.

That generally means working class kids.

Hares added:

"Senior politicians like Alex Salmond, who talk a good game on social mobility and young people, should know better than to ignore these principles in their own office. As well as being unfair, unpaid internships are often illegal. We will be reporting this advert for investigation by HMRC's Minimum Wage enforcement team."

Labour MSP Kez Dugdale said:

"We face a real challenge in ensuring we have equality of opportunity for young people trying to make their way in the world and I strongly believe unpaid internships undermine that because they give an advantage to people from well-off backgrounds."

Sir Malcolm Bruce, the deputy leader of the Lib Dems, said:

"If someone is doing the job of a paid worker then they need to be paid."

He added:

"It is hugely disappointing that the First Minister has failed to lead by example in his own constituency office."

What is hugely disappointing?

Alex Salmond is a rat; his party is run as a rat ship under his leadership, people just need to know exactly what he is.

An SNP spokesman said:

"We've simply responded to a request from Aberdeen University to provide a short-term flexible internship to one of their full-time students - to assist them with their course. No-one has been appointed, or even interviewed, and therefore there has been no discussion on expenses or hours for the internship."

If that was the case, then why was it advertised? 

If this was to “help” one of their full-time students as stated with their course; then why the advert at the careers service in the first place?

Where else was the ad placed?

Was it placed at the local job centre?

If not, why not?

Was it placed on any job vacancy sites?

If so which ones?

I think we can assume given passed Scottish National Party history that this vacancy probably wasn’t inclusively advertised to the widest possible audience.

The SNP isn’t a party of fairness, equality and social justice, if so Salmond wouldn't allow discrimination.

But Alex Salmond does!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University