A prominent youth organisation in Cyprus has issued a serious warning concerning the ongoing exploitation of interns, expressing strong disapproval of the government's decision to delay national legislation. Peo’s youth office, a significant trade union, voiced profound disappointment on Thursday, arguing that this governmental stance represents a substantial regression. They assert that this will perpetuate a system where students and young professionals are routinely treated as expendable labour.
The core of the controversy lies in the government's apparent hesitancy to establish a comprehensive legal framework for internships. While various stakeholders, including unions and employers, had been anticipating the submission of a new bill by the close of 2025, the Minister of Labour has now declared that national legislation will not be pursued at this time. Instead, the administration plans to wait for a forthcoming European directive on internships, intending to align domestic law only after its finalisation. This approach has generated considerable dismay within Peo, which perceives it as a deliberate tactic to stall progress, particularly as the organisation claims employers have actively lobbied for this postponement.
Peo’s spokesperson presented a compelling argument that student interns are, in essence, valuable contributors to business productivity and profitability. Nevertheless, they frequently find themselves in precarious circumstances, often performing demanding tasks without any financial compensation and lacking fundamental labour rights. This inherent vulnerability, Peo contends, makes them susceptible to pervasive exploitation, a situation significantly worsened by the current legislative void. The organisation insists that all necessary preparatory work for national legislation, including extensive consultations with all pertinent parties, had already been thoroughly completed.
The government's justification for this delay, as explained by the Minister of Labour to the House labour committee, is to ensure consistency with evolving European standards. The intention is to await the conclusion of European-level processes concerning the directive, and subsequently to shape national legislation in accordance with these new provisions. However, Peo has countered this by pointing out that discussions surrounding a European directive have been ongoing and publicly acknowledged for a considerable duration. This suggests that the government's reliance on this European development as the sole reason for delaying domestic action might be a convenient excuse rather than an unavoidable necessity.
The consequences of this prolonged delay are extensive. Without clear legal guidelines, the ambiguous areas surrounding the internship system are likely to persist, leaving interns vulnerable to unfair labour practices. This uncertainty is particularly acute for students who require internships to meet the professional licensing requirements for their chosen careers. The continued absence of regulation not only deprives these young individuals of fair remuneration and basic rights but also compromises the integrity of professional development pathways, potentially leaving them with limited options against exploitative practices. Consequently, the government's decision risks prolonging a situation that actively disadvantages a crucial segment of the Cypriot workforce.