Government submits position to Parliament on Commission proposal to improve working conditions of trainees

On 20 March 2024, the European Commission proposed a directive that would improve the working conditions of trainees and combat regular employment relationships disguised as traineeships. The proposal contains a number of provisions that would help trainees secure their rights.

The purpose of the directive is to prevent trainees from being paid lower salaries or otherwise being offered less favourable terms of employment if their job description corresponds to that of a regular employee.

Government supports main goals of directive – flexibility needed at national level

The Government welcomes the fact that the directive urges Member States and authorities responsible for control and enforcement to pay special attention to the position of trainees. The scope of the directive would be clearer if the proposal provided a clearer definition of trainees and traineeships.

In the Government’s view, it is very important to ensure that the directive does not interfere with the national education system. 

The Government also stresses that the proposal should not restrict the ability of social partners to agree on the requirements and criteria for traineeships and the terms of employment applicable to trainees’ employment relationships. The proposal for the directive should take into account the fact that social partners are also involved in control, not only the authorities.

The Government is in favour of easing the excessively detailed regulation related to reports and reporting obligations, for example. This would ensure that the administrative burden on Member States, public authorities, businesses and social partners remains at a reasonable level.

Parliament to form Finland’s position based on Government’s communication

The Government prepares Union communications on those matters to be decided by the EU which, due to their content, would fall within the competence of Parliament if Finland were not a member of the EU. A communication describes the essential content and effects of the proposal and the Government’s position on the matter. Based on it, Parliament will form Finland’s position on the Commission’s proposal.

The proposed directive is currently being discussed by the Council of the European Union. The Council will continue to seek a general approach on the proposal during the Hungarian Presidency. The new European Parliament will start working on the directive once it gets organised after the elections in June. Once both bodies have formulated their positions, they will begin trilogue negotiations with the Commission. The three bodies will preliminarily agree on the text of the directive, after which each of them will adopt it.

Inquiries:

Seija Jalkanen, Chief Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 048 952
Anna Toni, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 361