how can I help my son, and should I try?

My own feeling is that if these sort of hours are only for a limited period of time - perhaps during the apprenticeship - I would imagine it would not be too much of a problem for a young man. However, if there is an expectation that he will do these very long hours on a permanent basis, I do think it is exploitation.

As others have said, this is probably not that unusual a situation these days, but that doesn't make it right. Apart from being unfair to the people concerned, research has shown that working excessive hours does not improve productivity.

maisiegreen I can understand your concerns - I would be concerned too. If the company is a reputable one, hopefully your son's hard work and willingness to be flexible will not have gone unnoticed and will in time be suitably rewarded.

Re the union suggestion, would an employer necessarily know that an employee had joined a union?

Thanks again to all of you. I think we happened to start our stay during a particularly difficult week for him, and things have calmed down a bit and he seems to be coping OK. It's been a great help to read your responses. (I also must say that I never let him see me upset about it all - not a good idea)