Volunteers need more protection (From York Press)

Volunteers need more protection

10:50am Wednesday 20th January 2010 in Letters By Reader's letter

Volunteers have always played an important role in society. In the past this was almost exclusively confined to charitable works.

It is still the area of activity which attracts the most dedicated among us, and as the report by Stephen Lewis illustrates (Volunteers who give and receive, The Press, January 16), carries the greatest prestige.

In recent years, popular enthusiasms, such as archaeology, museums and stately homes have also attracted volunteers. This eagerness of people to work for nothing has not gone unnoticed by other organisations, including our cash-strapped local authorities. Several well-funded quangos have been set up to exploit this interest. They may be regarded as the gang-masters of volunteering.

Volunteers have no legal rights, and will generally be asked to sign an “agreement” accepting that fact. They may be summarily dismissed at any time. One recalls a recent case of volunteers being sacked. There are worse examples.

The difficulty lies in our English common law, which considers that anyone willing to work for nothing deserves everything they get. There is even a manual available advising organisations how to avoid inadvertently bestowing legal rights on volunteers.

Volunteering plays a most important role in the economy. It is surely unsatisfactory that a volunteer should have no rights whatsoever. Legislation is needed.

In the meantime, responsible organisations, such as the National Railway Museum, do provide a grievance procedure. This gives volunteers some protection: they cannot be summarily dismissed.

Should not the York Council for Voluntary Service ensure that all organisations offer such a procedure before recommending them to prospective volunteers?

William Dixon Smith, Welland Rise, Acomb, York.