Are people right to be angry about Liverpool’s call for Eurovision volunteers?

Critics call it ‘slave labour’. The mayor says it is perfectly normal. We asked the experts and the trade unionists

Dear members — Liverpool Twitter was an angry place over the weekend. No shock there. The target of its ire? Liverpool City Council. Again, no shock there. The council’s decision to advertise for 500 unpaid volunteer roles at Eurovision went down like a cup of cold sick. “The ££ spent on Eurovision bid etc was justified as city leaders promised it would bring in revenue & local jobs, boosting the local economy. Yet 500 ‘unpaid’ workers are being sought, during a cost of living crisis…” was one of the politer tweets. And yet, unpaid volunteer work is of course widely used in festivals and events across the globe, from the Olympics to a school bake sale. In today’s piece we ask: are people right to be angry?