No more unpaid internships!
To the European Commission, the Commissioner designate for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef and the Commissioner designate for People, Skills and Preparedness Roxana Mînzatu.
Petition
We call on the Commissioners to:
- Ban unpaid internships in Europe: we urge the European Commission to take concrete steps to end unpaid internships throughout the European Union. It is necessary to ensure that every young person undertaking an internship receives fair remuneration for their work and contribution.
- Adopt binding legislation at European level: we call for the introduction of a law obliging all employers, public and private, to pay interns, ensuring decent working conditions and protecting young people from the abuse of contracts disguised as internships.
- Promote equal opportunities for young Europeans: we call on Commissioner Micallef to translate his promises into concrete actions, so that all young people have access to training and employment opportunities without economic or social discrimination.
Why is this important?
While I interned at the European Commission this year, leaders were discussing how we should be treated as trainees. Pressure from people like us had forced them to address the exploitation. [1]
There was a fear that an embarrassing secret would come to light: the European institutions also relied on unpaid internships.
Yet, bound by strict confidentiality and precarious conditions we, the trainees, had no way to leak the information.
While some steps to tackle the abuse of internships disguised as jobs have been made, these are not enough. [2]
Today, companies and institutions exploit 1.5 million young Europeans under the pretext of training them. [3] How can we young people pay bills, buy a house, build a future when we’re asked to work for free?
Last week, Youth Commissioner Micallef pledged to promote equal opportunities for all generations. [4] And during her appointment interview, People Commissioner Mînzatu supported ending unpaid internships. [5]
There is a big gap between words and deeds. But we can bridge it if enough of us demand a dignified future for young Europeans. Only if Commissioners realise that we are watching them, we stand a chance to stop youth’s exploitation. Are you in?