Trade unions are calling on the Irish government to use its presidency of the European Union to ensure that young people from all backgrounds can take important first steps in their careers.
Seanad Éireann heard recently how unpaid internships mean that many opportunities are “only available to those who have access to the bank of mum and dad” and EU data shows that 37% of young Irish people received no financial compensation during their last traineeship, rising to 44% across Europe.
With the cost of undertaking an unpaid internship estimated at least €1028 per month in 2023 and prices having risen substantially since, millions of young people from working class backgrounds are being locked out of a range of careers. That is why the European Commission proposed a ban on unpaid internships through the Traineeships Directive.
Delay
But more than two years after its launch, the much-needed directive has still not received its final approval and the latest round of negotiations between representatives of the European Commission, Parliament and Council due to take place last week were cancelled.
With the Irish presidency of the EU due to start on July 1, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Irish Confederation of Trade Unions (ICTU) are calling on the Irish government to make the conclusion of the Traineeship Directive a priority for its six month term.
In a letter to Irish employment minister Peter Burke, ICTU General Secretary Owen Reidy and European Officer Gerry McCormarck said Europe urgently needs “stronger protections against abusive traineeships and the misuse of traineeships as substitutes for regular employment.”
ETUC Confederal Secretary Tea Jarc said:
“The Irish government is taking the presidency of the EU at a time when young people in Ireland and across Europe will be leaving school, college or university and looking to take a first step in their careers.
“A traineeship can be a very useful bridge between education and employment, giving young people a foot in the door. But too many of the people looking for that important first opportunity this summer will find themselves locked out because they don’t have the thousand Euro a month or more needed to support themselves through an unpaid internship.
“The Irish government owes it to those young people to get the Traineeship Directive over the line and ensure that opportunities no longer depend on access to the bank of mum and dad."
Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions said:
"No young person's career should be decided by whether their family can afford to bankroll a thousand euro a month for an unpaid internship.
With 37% of young Irish people getting no financial compensation in their last traineeship, unpaid traineeships are clearly a structural barrier that locks out working class talent before their careers have even begun. The Irish presidency is a real opportunity to get this directive over the line, and we expect the government to use it."
Notes
ICTU letter to Minister Peter Burke TD, Department of Enterprise, Tourism & Employment [link]
