A delegation from the Irish Congress of Trade Union (ICTU) Youth Committee headed to Brussels earlier this month.  

The ICTU Youth delegation consisted of Fórsa’s James Joy and Michael Kerrigan, along with the Electrical Services Union’s John Lawler, accompanied by Gerry McCormack, ICTU’s European Officer.  

The delegation was joined by EPSU Youth Coordinator, Chloe Kenny. They met with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and a number of Irish MEPs to advocate for a strong Traineeship Directive. 

The Traineeship Directive was proposed by the European Commission in March last year. It intends to improve and enforce decent working conditions for trainees while tackling disguised employment relationships that often occur when young people are working as trainees or interns. 

On 3rd March the delegation met with ETUC General Secretary, Esther Lynch, and Tea Jarc, ETUC Confederal Secretary responsible for youth and employment policy, among other key areas. 

The ETUC representatives highlighted what they see as the key challenges in the proposed Traineeship Directive and discussed strategies for young trade unionists to push for the strongest possible protections. 

Speaking about the meeting, Fórsa’s Michael Kerrigan said, “We had a valuable conversation with the ETUC. They were very clear on their criticisms of the directive as it is now, and much of that matches with the realities faced by the young Irish workers we were there to represent.” 

The ETUC has warned that the proposed Traineeship Directive will need to be strengthened to be effective. The directive as it stands could potentially leave many trainees without adequate protections, particularly if they are in unclear employment situations. 

The ETUC is advocating for the directive to be improved by including clear standards on fair pay linked to minimum wage requirements, stronger action against abusive or fake traineeships, greater resources for labour inspectors to enforce rules effectively, and guarantees that the directive will not weaken existing national protections or create a new worker category that undermines trainees’ rights. 

The following day the delegation met with Irish MEPs at the European Parliament to discuss the necessity of getting the Traineeship Directive right.  

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Socialists and Democrats), Barry Cowen (Renew Europe), Cynthia Ní Mhurchú (Renew Europe), and Seán Kelly (European People’s Party) met the delegation in person. Three further MEPs were represented by members of their office staff, namely, Kathleen Funchion (The Left), Michael McNamara (Renew Europe), and Nina Carberry (EPP). 

Michael Kerrigan said, “We were glad that the MEPs took time to meet with us. Their expressions of support for an ambitious Traineeship Directive are very much appreciated.” 

He continued, “Now it’s about making it happen. Both the ICTU Youth Committee and the EPSU are looking forward to working with the ETUC and MEPs to ensure the traineeship directive will protect vulnerable workers.” 

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