The result of this bureaucratic mess-and the best excuse to exploit the weakest members of society-are generations of young people who struggle through unpaid internships. We think that the laws everyone keeps talking about (Act on Measures for Internships, amendments to the State Legal Exam Act) would not help the situation at all. All they would do is fragment the issue and put young people in an even worse situation.
We note that interns are often exploited as a source of cheap or unpaid labour, which is not in line with national, European or international labour norms. This also prevents young people from becoming independent. Although internships are primarily meant to be a valuable learning experience, we find it unacceptable that an intern’s performance and contribution are simply ignored. Their basic human rights, e.g. the right to equal pay for equal work, the right to a fair return on their work and the right to fair and equitable working conditions, are being violated. Above all, internships must be geared towards fulfilling educational objectives.
"We need a permanent measure in Slovenia that would establish a system of quality and paid internships, based on data on what constitutes an internship, its duration, who needs to complete one and why (professional exams). It is paramount that we secure funds for internships in the private and public sector alike! After all, internships are an important step to full-time employment for young people—in the public as well as the private sector—but we need to make sure that internships are paid," Mladi Plus secretary Sanja Leban Trojar wrote in a press release announcing the results of the survey on unpaid internships.
Half of internships unpaid
The survey showed that more than half of all interns never received any money, while one quarter did not receive transportation reimbursement or reimbursement for meals.
"A total of 75 percent of the youth surveyed completed their internships in public institutions; 76 percent of interns reported that their internship was compulsory. Only one of the 438 surveyed persons received more than 1,000 euros/month for their work. However, we did encounter people who actually paid to get internships, which is proof positive that this area is unregulated. But internships are still a necessary first step for students who plan to pursue careers. Whether or not they do get a job later on is another matter entirely," Leban Trojar added.
The National Youth Council of Slovenia (MSS) recently said on their website that they refuse to give politicians credit for trying to solve the problem of voluntary internships. "Nobody has done anything until civil society groups got involved," MSS pointed out.Civil society groups have warned that unpaid internships are tantamount to exploitation. Their calls were met with a positive response from politicians, and the Slovenian Parliament has already passed at first reading a motion aiming to ban unpaid internships. The motion also incentivizes employers to give interns real jobs.
Gregor Cerar; translated by D. V.
The result of this bureaucratic mess-and the best excuse to exploit the weakest members of society-are generations of young people who struggle through unpaid internships. We think that the laws everyone keeps talking about (Act on Measures for Internships, amendments to the State Legal Exam Act) would not help the situation at all. All they would do is fragment the issue and put young people in an even worse situation.
We note that interns are often exploited as a source of cheap or unpaid labour, which is not in line with national, European or international labour norms. This also prevents young people from becoming independent. Although internships are primarily meant to be a valuable learning experience, we find it unacceptable that an intern’s performance and contribution are simply ignored. Their basic human rights, e.g. the right to equal pay for equal work, the right to a fair return on their work and the right to fair and equitable working conditions, are being violated. Above all, internships must be geared towards fulfilling educational objectives.
