Spain’s Ministry of Labour and the trade unions have together agreed to establish a separate legal status for company trainee workers. The aim of the text that is due to go to Parliament for approval is to regulate the length of the internships undertaken during official studies and limit those being undertaken outside training cycles. The employers' representatives have kept away from the current proceedings believing that the snap election called for 23 July will de facto stall any new legal initiatives.
The text, that was under negotiations with the social partners for more than a year establishes the “Status of persons undergoing practical non-professional training within the company”, known as the trainee status. While the text sets out trainees’ working conditions and rights, it does not address the issue of remuneration, since most internships in Spain are unpaid.
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Article authors
Cécile Thibaud
Correspondent in Spain
As Madrid correspondent for mind RH since 2021, I cover news developments in Spain's world of work, focusing on legal developments and collective bargaining, particularly around work-life balance, equality and inclusion policies, which have been hot topics in the country in recent years.