Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – The left-wing faction is pushing for better remuneration for internships in the state administration in Saxony-Anhalt. Almost all of the internships are not remunerated, but in principle they should be remunerated, said child and youth policy spokeswoman Nicole Anger of the German Press Agency on Wednesday. “We call on the country to make this a must-regulation from the optional.”
Anger refers to the state government’s response to a small question that she asked together with her colleague Hendrik Lange. In it, the Ministry of Science states that, according to an internship directive, there is no legal entitlement to remuneration. Compensation can be paid under certain conditions. However, the highest state authorities agreed in 2016 not to make use of the “can rule” for mandatory internships.
“I don’t understand why the country isn’t leading by example here,” said Anger. “We have an alarming shortage of skilled workers in our country, and this threatens to worsen, especially in the field of education. Unpaid internships underestimate the performance of young people who start with the same prior knowledge.”
