A group of young Kosovars decided to start an initiative to change the law for internships. They got the idea by witnessing a lot of interns get mistreated in various ways by their employers.
The initiative “Pay my Internship – Kosovo” has a number of goals: topersuade institutions to recognize internships, pay for internships, and respect interns.
Linda Gjokaj, the initiator of this idea, says that “Pay my internship – Kosovo” strives to get paid internships for everyone regardless of where they are interning.
“I came up with this idea based on my personal experience with numerous internships. I may have worked more than full-time workers and I didn’t get paid,” she says.
This initiative also strives to persuade legislative institutions to correct internship laws. According to “Pay my internship – Kosovo,” the law should state that there should be a payment, even if symbolic, to show appreciation for the efforts and hard-work of interns.
“We are not asking for a lot, at least for a symbolic payment with which students can use to take care of some of their expenses, even if it’s just for daily meals,” says Gjokaj.
EgzonMumxhiu, Masters student at the University of Prishtina, studying International Relations, supports this initiative. He recalls his experience as an intern in the Municipality of Prishtina.
“I have finished an internship in the Directorate of Culture in the Municipality of Prishtina. The internship lasted from 1st of November until the 31st of December 2016. We worked full-time and with the same responsibilities as the employees, but we weren’t paid,” he says.
Although he advanced professionally, the lack of payment damaged him economically, such as work-related expenses like food and drinks during breaks, as well as other services which cost a considerable amount of money. These were among the reasons he quit his internship.
“If I had been paid at least a symbolic amount of money to cover some expenses, of course I would have continue my internship,” Mumxhiu adds.
For his internship at “Lëvizja Fol” organization, he was paid 50€.
“It’s a symbolic amount but with a lot of value for a student,” he says.
According to him, a considerable number of employers don’t regard internships as serious or important work.
Mumxhiu emphasizes the fact that although he finished some internships, they were not viewed as “work experience” by some places where he applied for work.
The Law on Labour was written in 2010. It states that the employer, in agreement with an interested party, may engage interns without pay or any other rights emerging from the employment relationship, apart from being obliged to offer occupational safety and protection according to the Law. The employer who engages the intern without compensation of salary shall be obliged to evidence the intern in the list of evidences without compensation of salary.
The duration of the internship may vary based on the level of education. The practical work of an intern with high, university and post-graduate qualification shall not last more than one year, whereas the practical work of an intern with secondary education shall last not more
than six months. Collective Contract and Employer’s Internal Act shall define the form of professional capacity building and the duration of the internship.
Adeline Gjergji
