People on work experience placements at newspapers and media firms should get the mimimum wage, according to the National Union of Journalists.

The call comes after a survey found that more than 82 per cent of all journalists on work experience who had work published received no payment.

The wage rules would not apply to people on media courses organised by their college or university.

The suggestion comes on the back of an NUJ report on media companies which exploit wannabe reporters on work experience placements.

Poor performers will be "named and shamed" by the union, which surveyed 500 of its student members.

It asked them to share their experiences, and is due to reveal its findings on Tuesday.

The results will be presented to HM Revenue & Customs and the NUJ will ask the Government to act.

Members will also be asked to send details of their work placement experiences to a special e-mail address.

The NUJ's Helen Oswald told HoldtheFrontPage: "We have got some interesting statistics - 80 per cent of those surveyed had work published or broadcast while on work experience, but 82 per cent of those didn't receive payment."

In addition to the survey, the NUJ has published a code of best practice for work experience placements, which it wants media groups to adhere to.

The code of best practice says it is "unacceptable" for students on unpaid work placements to be used to fill gaps in staffing or to replace freelance cover, or for students to get little or no journalistic practice and simply to be treated as an office junior, running errands and fetching and carrying for others.

Its 11-point 'minimum standards' list also includes guidelines which say that work placements should be for a minimum of two weeks, that regardless of payment students should be able to claim reasonable expenses, and they should not be expected to carry out duties that put them in danger - such as door-stepping or going undercover when there is a risk of violence.

It states that HM Revenue & Customs insists that all work experience placements are covered by the minimum wage regulations and only students on work placements that are endorsed by their university or college as being beneficial to the coursework are exempt.

Employers offerings such placements, even for much shorter periods, require a letter from the student's college confirming that the work placement is of benefit to the student.

The NUJ's best practice points echo this by saying that students on work placements should be paid at least the minimum wage and that where no wage payment is made students should be paid at least the standard rates to print any articles/photos.