PC767,
But as it stands unpaid work volunteers have lost annual leave, which I hope will be corrected.
Wrong, wrong wrong! You need to read the documents on the company intranet, not listen to the conjecture and spin! Quoted directly form those documents:
"Voluntary Unpaid Work (VUW) Q & As
Is there a minimum and maximum period of VUW?
The minimum period is 1 week and the maximum period of VUW is 4 weeks.
What effect will taking VUW have on my annual leave entitlement?
No effect - annual leave will continue to accrue as normal."