Ordu Governor's Office 'intern' austerity measure: If they want payment, they should intern elsewhere

The Ordu Governor's Office had approximately 40 university students who wanted to intern at the institution sign a document stating, 'I do not request payment.' Following objections from the students, the Governor's Office cited austerity measures and canceled the internships of students whose internships were not mandatory.

According to a report by Onur Durmuş from Birgün, the Ordu Governor's Office  approved the internship applications of 40 university students who applied to their institution in June 2024. Officials from the Governor's Office asked the students who submitted their internship files to sign a document stating, 'I wish to complete my mandatory internship at your Directorate between 01.07.2024 and 29.07.2024. I do not request any payment during this period.' 

'WE HAVE DECIDED NOT TO TAKE INTERNS THIS TERM'

All of the students were forced to sign this document to complete their internships. After some students said, 'We are supposed to receive one-third of the minimum wage; we will object,' Governor's Office officials called all the students and said, 'We have decided not to take interns this term.'

When students with mandatory internships said, 'Our school sent us to this institution. If we don't complete our internship, our graduation will be delayed,' the Governor's Office called the students one by one to ask if their internships were mandatory. Following these discussions, the internships of approximately 25 students whose internships were not mandatory were canceled by the Ordu Governor's Office, citing 'austerity measures.'

'IF THEY HAVE FINANCIAL DEMANDS, THEY SHOULD INTERN ELSEWHERE'

Ordu Governor Muhammer Erol stated that the Governor's Office does not have sufficient funds, saying, 'We don't have extra money to give. We are not a municipality; we have no source of income other than the budget provided by the ministry. If you are going to demand payment, we don't have the money. Then they should intern at the municipality. If we don't have the budget, how are we supposed to pay these fees? If they have financial demands, they should intern elsewhere then. Should people pay out of their own pockets?'

Following Birgün's conversation with Erol, the Press Relations Manager of the Ordu Governor's Office called the newspaper to provide a statement on the matter.

Stating that an official from the Ministry of Interior had called the Ordu Governor's Office and instructed them to halt all intern recruitment as part of austerity measures, the manager claimed that the Ministry of Interior had contacted the Ordu Governor's Office by phone without a written directive, and that the instruction given was, 'Stop all intern recruitment due to austerity measures. Also, have the interns sign a document stating they do not request payment.'

'CONTRARY TO LAW AND MORALITY...'

Commenting on the issue, Dr. Burak Sabuncu, a lawyer for the Eğitim-İş Union Headquarters, stated that this practice is contrary to morality and the law.

Sabuncu stated, "According to Vocational Education Law No. 3308, it is mandatory to pay university students subject to compulsory internships at least 1/30th of the net minimum wage. Applying a form of 'slave law' to the concept of internships, beyond even cheap labor, is clearly contrary to the Wage Guarantee and Prohibition of Forced Labor enshrined in the Constitution. The documents obtained from students stating they will not request payment are also invalid as they would be considered contrary to law and morality."