SEN. RISA Hontiveros is pushing for a bill that will protect and ensure the rights of interns against exploitation from companies and providing them with remuneration. In her Senate Bill 994, or the ‘Interns Rights and Welfare Bill,” she outlined the responsibilities of host training companies to their interns to establish a “proper and relevant learning experience for them.”
“Internship is for students and young people to learn more about the workplace and to deepen their craft. Internship is not an excuse for employers to take advantage of cheap or free labor,” Hontiveros said in her explanatory note. The bill requires companies that opt to employ interns to come up with a contract and program that detail the professional training for interns. Companies that have questionable labor practice are prohibited from accepting interns.
The bill also puts a cap on internship hours where internship in the government sector must not exceed 300 hours or last over six months where those that are industry-based and more technical in nature are capped at 600 hours per semester or equivalent to 15 unit per term. It also protects all interns from any form of workplace abuses and harassment.
Aside from the protection of interns rights, some provisions of the bill also provide basic benefits and remuneration (75 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in the region for private companies and 75 percent of Step 1 salary grade for interns in the public sector), provide funds for government agencies to host interns; and create a grievance mechanism to address any violation of basic interns’ rights.
I am afraid that if Hontiveros’ bill is passed, no company will accommodate interns, on-the-job training or apprentices. Why? Because the company will be apprehensive to accommodate interns because of the very strict provisions of the law. They might be held liable or face cases in court. Imagine giving “salaries and remuneration” to interns? That could be an additional burden to the companies that will host interns.
There are even companies which cannot provide decent salaries to their employees or even pay the mandated daily minimum wage. And now these companies will be forced to provide incentives to their interns? For example, in the media industry, only a few organizations, especially in broadcast here in Cebu, can provide decent salaries to their workers. That is the reason some cannot hire people to complete a well-organized news and public affairs department while others were forced to retrench their workers. And then, once these companies accommodate interns, they will be forced to provide incentives? Who needs interns? Is it the company or the schools that require their students to undergo internship?
Then the companies that will host interns are criminally liable if they cannot provide such incentives. If I am the owner or manager, I better stop accommodating interns. Did Hontiveros know that some companies are asking payments from their interns in order to be accommodated and the students are forced to pay because that’s one of their requirements for graduation?
You ask students taking up Hotel and Restaurant Management which among the hotels here demand payments. You ask nursing and other medical-related courses students which among hospitals here demand payments so they will be accommodated? You ask the marine and transportation and marine engineering students how much they pay shipping companies so that they can have their apprenticeship. Instead of the companies paying the interns, Hontiveros should make a move to stop these practices because this is the real “exploitation” of the interns.
On the protection of interns’ rights. Is it abuse or exploitation if the company managers or supervisors order interns to make coffee or give interns other tasks not related to their training program? Hontiveros should think about the possible repercussion of her bill before pushing it.