Labour Inspectorate Opens Case Over Unpaid Work

The Labour Inspectorate has opened a formal case against the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya after uncovering that over 200 interns carried out structural civil service tasks without employment rights between October 2024 and July 2026. These individuals, classified as university trainees, worked full-time hours from 8:00 to 15:00, performing duties normally reserved for civil servants and contracted staff.

Trainees Denied Basic Labour Rights

According to documents obtained by elDiario.es, the interns received around €1,250 per month, below the national minimum wage when factoring in the lack of double pay, and were not registered with the Social Security system. They had no entitlement to paid leave, strike rights or sick pay. If absent without a medical certificate, they were required to make up lost hours.

The Generalitat derived a direct benefit from this work, which should have been performed by contracted staff.

Back Payments and Formal Re-Classification Ordered

The Labour Inspectorate is demanding €2.16 million from the Generalitat to cover unpaid Social Security contributions for the affected individuals. The Spanish Treasury’s Social Security agency has already ruled that these interns must be retroactively registered as formal employees. The recalculated amount is based on the salary of a senior technician within the same department. The 200 cases stem from only two internship calls, the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 cycles. However, internal sources confirm that assigning core administrative work to interns has been standard practice in the department since 2012 and extends to other affiliated bodies.

Government Suspends Entire Programme

In response, the Catalan government has suspended its university internship programme across the Department of Culture. The initiative, launched under a 2022 agreement between the government and universities to create 2,000 paid internships, aimed to attract young talent and promote public service careers. Despite its stated goals, the programme has come under scrutiny for enabling the displacement of permanent roles with low-paid, temporary trainees. The Generalitat has not yet announced whether affected interns will receive compensation beyond Social Security registration.

Sources: elDiario.es, Generalitat de Catalunya.