The Ordem dos Psicólogos (OPP) repeats its position regarding the remuneration of Professional Internships, after verifying the publications, yesterday, of the Decree-Law No. 66/2011, regulations which require the payment of professional internships under given circumstances.

1. The OPP, through its Internship Regulations which are currently in force and already defend the principle for the payment of the professional internship;
2. The principle in this Regulation is wider than the one that now comes into force as it does not exclude independent relations (such as activity in a private clinic);
3. This principle of remuneration is assumed by the OPP for 3 reasons: responsibility and valorisation of the work of psychology interns; fight again professional volunteer work (common in State organisms); the non-filling of permanent work posts by interns;
4. However, the OPP is aware that this situation has other risks where caution is required, namely because this requirement may worsen the difficulties of accessing the profession, if there is no financial capacity to pay the interns in a sufficient number to meet the huge demand;
5. The risks mentioned in the previous point may be made worse by the serious economic and financial situation of our country;
6. In the dependent work context, the stipulation given in OPP Internship Regulations allows, on their request, that an intern not be remunerated (created for, in the last case, does not prevent access to the profession due to a difficulty in accessing a remuneration internship), must be altered;
7. The OPP finds the exceptions that thisnew law, apparently has for Doctors and Nurses but not Psychologists strange;
8. The OPP will be alert, regarding the previous point, to the exploration of voluntary work, informal by Psychology graduates or masters, within the context of health institutions;
9. The OPP also warms that the various exception regimes in this new law seem to repeat their coverage of professions such as Doctors, Nurses, Lawyers and Architects, who, as is public and remarkable, were used as flag to defend this law which, in fact, does not apply to them;
10. The OPP also believes that the reading of the consequences of this law must be done together with the memorandum of understanding with Troika, as it sets, in light of the difficulties in accessing the profession, now even more so, a move forward for measures of deregulation, again, only for some;
11. The OPP is awaiting the launch of tools to fight the unemployment of those who are younger and qualified, that they respect this new reality and allow institutions to use financing to allow the use of these valuable human resources which the country has already invested in with training;
12. The OPP warns about the risk of the huge waste of financial means from not using the qualification of these youths if professional integration measures are not found, which are efficient and articulated with this new regime of remunerated professional internships;
13. The OPP will continue to make all efforts to create awareness in the largest number of institutions possible for the reception of remunerated professional internships;
14. The OPP repeated its complete availability to speak with the public and private institutions and all agents involved in the training process and in the execution of professional internships in Psychology, assuring its members and future members that, as it has done until now, it will continue to be committed to the consolidation of the quality of training without ever losing sight of the defence of the interest of those who, due to the merit of their qualities and work, have to right to access the profession with conditions of dignity, justice and equality.