Malaysian Trades Union Congress deputy president Effendy Abdul Ghani said such a policy should include clear guidelines on the minimum allowance payable to an intern.

Citing a study by the Malaysian Employers Federation, Effendy said interns should be paid at least RM1,000 a month.

“It is high time the government seriously considers creating a consistent policy on how interns’ allowances should be paid. Otherwise, some employers will take advantage of interns.

“We have had cases of interns being paid nothing,” he told FMT.

Effendy’s comments come after the prime minister said recently that no policy could be laid down due to the voluntary nature of internship programmes.

Instead, Anwar urged companies offering internships to students to ensure they were paid a “reasonable allowance”.

Anwar’s comments came after Muda affiliate Ikatan Mahasiswa Demokratik Malaysia announced it would embark on a campaign to demand “dignified wages” for interns.

Meanwhile, Muda secretary-general Amir Hadi said Anwar had missed out on an opportunity to provide clarity on “grey areas”, including how a “reasonable” allowance figure was to be determined.

Without a policy in place, the amount of money paid to interns would be solely based on an employer’s goodwill, he said.

“We must remember that policies are the reflections of our values; they are the means by which we build the society we desire.

Therefore, we need a proactive policy that establishes a fair and just economic environment for our students and youth,” he said.

In urging Anwar to reconsider, Amir said Muda agreed with the calls for a “minimum allowance” for interns as this would ensure no intern was left in a position of “economic vulnerability”.