The right to fair remuneration for postgraduate interns – the decision of the ECSR in European Youth Forum (YFJ) v. Belgium, Complaint No. 150/2017

Abstract

Unpaid internships are an exploitative practice, which have no benefit to business, society, and certainly not for young people. The decision 150/2019 of the ECSR should signal the end of unpaid internships not just in Belgium, but across Europe. The European Youth Forum is committed to fight for the right of all young people, regardless of their socioeconomic background, to have equal access to fair, paid jobs. At the time of the Collective Complaint's submission, Belgium has been estimated to be the Member State with the highest rate of unpaid internships in the EU, with only 1 in 5 (18%) being paid for work (Eurobarometer survey, 2015).