German Labor Law
Discrimination against foreigners is strictly forbidden.
Employment situations in Germany are subject to the German labor and social laws (with very few exceptions).Differences in the treatment of aliens are prohibited. Discrimination on grounds of nationali-ty or origin are forbidden and can be severly punished.
Conflicts between workers and employers in the labor courts are regulated.
There are also many companies with so-called "labor councils", elected representatives of the workers who are tasked to monitor employer compliance with labor laws.
Social Security.
Workers have health, accident and pension insurance. The only exceptions are for people who earn less than 400 Euros monthly.
With some states there are pension agreements, so that vested rights can be taken along when returning to the home country.
When this is not possible, then, at least when permanently returning to a home country, 50 per cent may be brought back in cash.
Labor Contracts.
A general, state-fixed, minimum wage does not exist yet. However, wages are regulated in many industries via agreements between unions and employers' associations. These are are also valid for people who are not members of a union.
When none of these so-called labor contracts apply, the wage must, however, be freely ne-gotiated.
Different pay for German and foreigners for the same activity is inadmissible and will also not occur in practice.
Usual Working Conditions.
The work week varies between 38-40 hours generally Monday through Friday; work on Sun-days, apart from very few exceptions, is prohibited.
The statutory minimum leave is 24 days per year, in addition to sick leave.
After a probationary period of 6 months, work conditions are typically stable.
If the employer wants to lay someone off, he or she has to meet deadlines and in companies with more than 10 employees, must present reasons. Otherwise, layoffs are only possible if they are due to inappropriate behavior or long-term health issues of the employee or if the employer does not have enough work to do to justify a position any longer.
Additional Agreements for Professional Workers.
All these are minimum standards. In addition, the German labor market immediately, provides professionals with endless opportunities to negotiate better terms with the employer.
30 days off, 13 or 14 salary payments per year, or performance bonuses are are not uncommon in occupations where professionals are scarce.
