PWB + Future Interns + Ragpickers // All We Want for X-Mas is Pay (Serpentine Gallery, London)

Dear Serpentine Management, we have recently been made aware that you are advertising 3 month volunteer placements…

From: Precarious Workers Brigade <precariousworkersbrigade@aktivix.org>
Date: 13 December 2013 12:55:34 GMT
To: Gwenb@serpentinegallery.org, jpj@serpentinegallery.org, huo@serpentinegallery.org, Rosed@serpentinegallery.org
Subject: Unpaid Volunteer Positions

Dear Serpentine Management,

We have recently been made aware that you are advertising 3 month volunteer placements at the Serpentine in the Co-Director’s Office (5 days a week), in the Public Programmes Department (2 days a week) and in the Individual Giving team (3 days a week).

We understand the pressures publicly funded, non-profit arts organisations are under and we salute you for taking the time and effort to mentor and train people wanting to work in the arts sector.

However, we are concerned that by not paying people, only those who can afford to work for free will be able to benefit from volunteering at the Serpentine, gain experience in these areas of work and therefore pursue a career in the sector.

Your adverts request individuals who are “reliable, full of initiative and who can demonstrate a keen interest in being involved in this exciting programme.” They also suggest a certain skill level, such as “Previous experience with artists, or in an arts organisations, or in adult learning programmes desirable.”  (Public Programme Volunteer placement).

It is clear that the job requires previous experience and some expertise in the area. While as a charity it is not a legal necessity that you pay what are described as ‘volunteers’ many in the sector have acknowledged the exploitative implications of taking advantage of this legal loophole and not paying young workers who clearly fulfill necessary, vital and in many cases, formerly paid positions within organisations. We know that interns at the Serpentine Gallery put in many hours of work and take on great responsibilities. We know that they also gain great experiences. However allowing only those who can afford to work without compensation to gain such experiences has grave implications for  a sector already often accused of elitism and at risk of losing the moderate movements towards diversity in the sector.

We are aware that the Serpentine is an educational charity and therefore would suggest that creating fair, equitable and compensated learning activities would be in keeping with this mandate. Demonstrating unfair employment practices does in fact contradicts your constitution as an educational arts charity.

Along with others, our groups – who include past, current and future interns –  have been campaigning for fair pay for interns in the arts sector for many years. As a result many arts institutions – including those much smaller and poorer than the Serpentine – have created policies against unpaid internships.

We strongly encourage the Serpentine to adopt such a policy. Over the coming months we will be engaging in a series of targeted actions at yours and other institutions to encourage the creation of such a policy. We will be examining and exposing pay inequities to the public to ensure that these issues are publicised and addressed. We welcome knowledge of any changes undertaken at your institution to create fairer working and compensation practices for interns.

There’s lots of information out there that might help you develop a new and more equitable approach to working with those who wish to develop a career in the sector. Here are a few links:

Art Council England’s guidelines Internships in the Arts:http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication_archive/internships-arts

The Carrotworkers’ Collective’s Counter Guide to Free Labour in the Arts
:http://carrotworkers.wordpress.com/counter-internship-guide/

Intern Aware: http://www.internaware.org/about/why-unpaid-internships-are-wrong/
Artquest’s Intern Culture report: http://www.artquest.org.uk/articles/view/intern_culture

And: Precarious Workers Brigade precariousworkersbrigade.tumblr.com

We look forward to your response.

Yours truly,

Precarious Workers Brigade
Future Interns

#payinterns #futureinterns

The two co-directors of the Serpentine Gallery, a registered charity, were paid at least 45 per cent more last year than in 2011, The Independent has learnt.