Twenty-two year old Radio and TV program student, Andy Ferguson, dies in a car accident driving home at 6AM after working a sixteen hour double shift and three overnights prior to the incident for Astral Media at The Bear and Virgin Radio stations, in Alberta.
Source: CBC News
In Ferguson’s case, he was denied his request to not work the last night just before his accident. According to family members, he was threatened with not being awarded his school credits if he did not work that night. Ferguson’s family was unsuccessful in pressing charges because Labor Canada does not recognize unpaid hours.
It is common for employers to want employees to put in much more dedication to their work than employees are willing or physically able to put in. However, I believe company ethics played a big role in causing Ferguson to be overworked. He was not treated equally as any other employee at the radio station and was forced into working more hours than other regular employees. Also, the company failed to address Ferguson’s work/life balance, putting company gains before employee capabilities, resulting in pushing Ferguson beyond his limits.
Unpaid internships aren’t novelties to Canadian management; Fairmont Vancouver recently posted an ad for an unpaid intern to support “food and beverage colleagues and ‘setting the stage’ for a truly memorable meal.” Although “bus boy” is generally an entry-level position, companies are still asking students to intern and provide unpaid work for the the company. This seems very unethical to me because the company knows that they will be receiving extra unpaid help, while the student intern cannot gain much experience towards hotel and restaurant management while busily cleaning tables as opposed to being offered an actual temporary management assistance position, and the company fully understands that.