Belgium singled out by the Council of Europe for unpaid internships
This decision, taken last September and made public on Wednesday, follows a complaint lodged by the European Youth Forum, with the support of the Youth Forum and the Vlaamse Jeugdraad. This pointed to the existence in Belgium of unpaid internships, outside the school framework. In practice, the Belgian law of July 3, 2005 on the rights of volunteers leads to a generalized use of unpaid internships (outside secondary and post-secondary education), he believes.
The Council of Europe, via the European Committee of Social Rights, followed this argument and confirmed the merits of the complaint, on the grounds that labor inspection is not sufficiently effective in detecting and preventing “wrong steps”. These practices violate the right of workers to adequate remuneration for their insurer, as well as to their families, a decent standard of living, as stipulated in the charter.
“The result of the collective complaint is a positive step forward for the rights of young people in Belgium. Unpaid internships are a discriminatory practice and only serve to further marginalize young people, who already face high levels of unemployment and are exposed to the risk of poverty”, reacts Valentine Martin, delegate to the European Youth Forum for the Youth Forum, in a press release.
“Based on the Committee’s decision, Belgium now has the necessary momentum to ban unpaid stages”, revealed the Youth Forum, which indicates that it has already met Pierre-Yves Dermagne on this subject. “Unpaid internships are a form of unfair competition, abuse of young workers and a way to compensate for inequalities in our labor market. With the help of my colleagues in the federated entities, I am doing everything I can to do so “, indicates for his part the federal Minister of Employment.