Call for mandatory compensation for students on internship

Trade union CNV and student organization ISO want mandatory compensation for students on internship. They’ve launched a petition to that effect. According to the organizations, the fact that compensation is not compulsory means that companies and organizations are lax about paying their interns, AD reports.

A survey of nearly 5,000 students last year showed that 44 percent of interns don’t receive any compensation for their work. The education sector is least likely to pay its interns, followed by healthcare.

“A full-time internship can hardly be combined with a part-time job, which means that many students lose their income as soon as they have to do an internship. That is why a mandatory appropriate compensation is absolutely in order,” said ISO president Terri van der Velden.

Justine Feitsma, chairman of CNV Jongeren, added: “An internship allowance is not a superfluous luxury in a time when costs are increasing exponentially.”

Interns are now often at the mercy of their employers. Only 7 percent of all collective labor agreements mention an internship allowance at all.

In the petition, CNV and ISO also demand attention to the queal treatment of MBO, HBO, and WO students. MBO students are most likely to receive no internship compensation, and when they do, it is generally less than HBO and WO students.