Young people cannot afford to work for free! ⛔ As the cost of living keeps rising, we say NO to unfair and unpaid working conditions.

Internships - a time for learning, exploring new interests and.. exploitation?  Internships are often a way for young people to gain experience and start their working life. However, unpaid internships are exploitative and are holding young people back.

• By forcing young people to work for free, unpaid internships are impacting their mental health and financial security, leaving interns feeling drained when they aren't recognised. 
• At the same time, unpaid internships are increasing inequality in our societies.  Those who can’t avoid to live without an income, are losing out and being excluded from the labour market. 

Help us ban unpaid internships by signing this petition. ✍️

What do we want? We demand that the European Union introduces binding legislation (“EU Directive”) to ensure all interns are valued as equals to any other employee, will earn a living wage and access social protection.

The European Commission’s existing common guidelines on internships (“The Quality Framework on Traineeships”) provides recommendations to governments on how internships are run. However, they do not go far enough. For example, they do not ensure access to social rights, such as pensions and unemployment benefits, and they do not ensure that every single young person can get an equal chance at a job.  

It’s time to protect young people and make sure that they all have equal opportunities to reach their potential. Banning unpaid internships is a crucial step to improving protection and quality of life for all workers. By paying a fair wage to young workers, everyone wins.

Want to join our fight? Check out our campaign! ️

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