The largest public service union IMPACT has warned that widespread unpaid graduate internships could lead to exploitation of vulnerable young workers.
The union has also said that the internships could introduce unnecessary risk to patients and close off graduate careers to young people from poorer backgrounds.
Speaking at the union's Health Division conference in Tralee, executive member Adrienne Byrne said unions had to strike a balance between ensuring that graduates had access to work experience, while avoiding the risk and inequity in the workplace.
She acknowledged that properly structured internships could benefit both services and staff.
However, she warned that internships could end up displacing what she called precious paid jobs.
Ms Byrne said IMPACT had already dealt with a case in Cork where a business student had been taken on for three months unpaid work by the HSE and was assigned to cover the work of a clerical officer on maternity leave.
She said the work was not relevant to the graduate's business degree.
Ms Byrne described the situation as shameless exploitation of the graduate involved, with no pay, no relevant experience, just free labour.
Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has defended the scheme and said that safeguards would be put in place to try to ensure there is no exploitation of young workers.
Mr Varadkar said the Government had fully considered the implications of the scheme.
He said it would be monitoring it closely but the project had considerable potential and was an important part of the initiative.
