Regions and cities urge ending non-remunerated traineeships and demand trainees to enjoy equal rights as regular workers

At the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 9 October, local and regional leaders called for better protection of trainees' rights and for an end to the misuse of traineeships to disguise regular employment in order to create a fairer labour market in the European Union.

In an opinion drafted by Dimitrios Birmpas (GR/PES), the Committee broadly supports EU legislative proposals to combat bogus traineeships and strengthen trainees' rights by creating a European regulatory framework for traineeships. However, the Committee called for the measures to ensure that all trainees have access to rights and fair working conditions to be made more specific.

CoR members highlighted that traineeships are instrumental in combating youth unemployment in the EU. They enable young people to gain work experience and enhance their employability and, if the experience leads to a regular position for the trainee, traineeships allow employers to reduce recruitment and integration costs and time. 

Regions and cities call for the adoption of clear criteria to improve the quality of traineeships and prevent them from being used as a cheap substitute for regular employment. They insist that traineeships should be recognised as valid professional experience, include a clearly defined learning or training component and, in addition to having a maximum duration of six months, have a minimum duration of one month to guarantee a significant learning experience. By the same token, the CoR acknowledges the need to consider duly justified deviations from these limits, such as traineeships that form an integral part of professional training. 

A written agreement at the start of the internship, clarifying responsibilities and rights, as well as a certificate that recognises the experience gained should be mandatory. Trainees should have the same rights as regular workers, especially regarding social protection and health and safety conditions. The Committee proposes an EU-wide ban on non-remunerated traineeships to ensure that all trainees, including those from vulnerable groups, enjoy fair access to opportunities and can cover their basic living costs. The CoR is also in favour of supporting providers of traineeships, in order to increase the availability of remunerated traineeships. 

To promote transparency and accountability and monitor the effectiveness of traineeship programmes, CoR members called for data to be shared on the rate at which companies hire former trainees and creating a European database. They emphasised the need for additional support for SMEs to meet the quality standards for traineeships. 

Finally, regions and cities pointed out that local and regional authorities are crucial for monitoring and implementing traineeship policies, including promoting the cross-border mobility of trainees according to local and regional needs. 

Quote:

Rapporteur Dimitrios Birmpas (GR/PES), Municipal Councilor of Egaleo: “Regular employment relationships disguised as traineeships undermine not only trainee rights, but also those of regular employees, while leading to distortions of competition between companies and abuses on the labour market. Trainees should not be obliged to opt for low or no remuneration in order to be able to access quality traineeship opportunities. We must safeguard their rights to decent traineeship conditions. This is why a clear regulatory framework at EU level is urgently needed. Local and regional authorities should lead by example for the effective implementation of such framework, because they are both important traineeship providers and can facilitate the cross-border mobility of trainees.