After a new failed attempt this Monday, the Ministry of Labor will make its proposal on the Scholarship Statute more flexible to try to add the employer to the agreement. The unions already accepted the current text in October and the only thing they require now is that no important aspect be modified.
In the meeting this Monday between the ministry and the social agents, no progress was made and the CEOE maintained its objection to some points, although it explicitly stated its desire to reach a consensus. The employer accepts the principle of regulating the figure of the intern to give him more guarantees and prevent training periods from substituting jobs, but disagrees with the exclusion provided for in the statute of external academic practices.
In addition, it also argues that there are texts that create legal uncertainty when dealing with the presumption of labor or the practices enabling to practice a profession.
Negotiation sources point out that the ministry could relax the regulations on extracurricular practices, which is the great point of discrepancy. The text presented on October 18, to which La Vanguardia had access, establishes that internships cannot be carried out outside the academic curriculum, that is, they must be recognized by universities or professional training centers. In this way, in principle the end of the extracurricular practices is established, although they are granted a transition period of three years.
The proposal also includes financial compensation for the scholarship holder's transport, lodging and maintenance expenses; prohibits them from working at night; and sets a limit of interns per company according to the staff.
