Young workers have no concept of the marketplace and maybe an induction session at high school, introducing them to their rights in the workplace would be a good place to start. The point is, all workers are disposable and whilst ever employers can make money 'ripping people off' they will. Young workers who are being exploited can go to the Press about it, starting at their local 'rag'. But, ultimately, many are exploited because they are naive and because they work for lower wages than adults. That is the reason why they are hired in the first place. The solution is easy: Pay them adult wages, then they won't be fired when they are eighteen, and employers won't be in a position to exploit them.

Workers need to be aware of their rights – and the problems they will have protecting them if they aren’t in a union. The cost of legal action is prohibitive. Join a union; it’s an investment in protecting your rights