Parliament ready to negotiate better working conditions for trainees

New EU rules to better prevent abusive trainee practices

Trainees should have a written contract detailing pay and duration

Access to social protection for trainees

MEPs today endorsed a mandate for negotiations with member states to ensure proper trainee working conditions and dissuade companies from disguising standard jobs as traineeships

Parliament’s mandate, prepared by the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, proposes changes to new EU rules on traineeships to better prevent abusive practices and to ensure trainees have contracts with clear provisions on pay, duration, and social protection.

MEPs say traineeships should be for a limited duration and involve entry-level work. Prospective trainees should have a written traineeship agreement describing pay, tasks, learning objectives, and the duration of the traineeship, and they should have access to social protection, such as health insurance. Parliament wants all types of traineeships to be included under the new rules, except for mandatory traineeships as part of education undertaken to obtain academic credits, and apprenticeships.

A traineeship that is not paid in accordance with national law, lacks a training component, or has no mentorship or evaluation, should be considered an abusive practice, according to MEPs. They also want organisations to designate a person to whom trainees would be able to turn for advice and support in cases of suspected malpractice.

You can read more about Parliament’s amendments to the Commission’s proposal in the press release following the vote at committee level.

Quote

Rapporteur Alicia Homs Ginel (S&D, ES) said: “Today the European Parliament is sending a clear signal to millions of young Europeans: traineeships must offer real rights, fair pay, and decent working conditions. We are taking a decisive step towards ensuring every young person can start their career with dignity and security. Parliament now stands ready to work closely with the Council on an agreement worthy of Europe’s youth.”

Next steps

Now that both Parliament and the Council adopted their negotiating position, interinstitutional negotiations on the final shape of the new rules can begin.

Background

The European Commission’s draft traineeship directive came in response to a 2023 European Parliament call to set minimum traineeship quality standards, including rules on duration, remuneration and access to social protection, in accordance with national laws and practices.