Im currently a student from germany, studying logistics and living with my parents. University is 10 minute drive with my bike away. Last year i accepted being a temporary worker/contract worker for a company who provides other company labour on short notice.
Its a minijob we call it, 450€ tax free, but actually its a 10.80€ pay job, that doesn't pay any benefits except working at night(and even then not the full shift but solely counting at midnight), national holidays or sundays. My experience so far:
Ive started working solely there because they are flexible. I only work when I WANT to/have time. Meaning i used to work on a sunday every week once a 7.5 hour shift in a factory that produces various paper based products. Due to the sunday bonus, i received 10,80€ + 1.5% meaning an average pay of 486, due to the bonus being tax free aswell i have to pay 0 taxes on all this money. Its fine, hard work, but they arent inhumane, despite being a constant : take the goods, package them, repeat, for 7.5 hours, you get a 10-15 minute break EVERY 1.5 hours, in some areas even 20 minutes -30 minutes depending on people, work type and how quickly the next contract needs to be fullfilled.
All in all hard job but well paid for me and the people there(mostly other co workers who are foreign and do that full time).
The thing is the factory fired everyone new. Not only the temporary workers but everyone who just started working. Everyone got fired in less than 1-2 weeks, i only knew it a week prior.
Now they sent me to other various places, some being fine, others being the worst kind of work ive ever seen. Once i had to work 8.5 hours(they asked me to do a 12 hour shift i refused) helping ships stow wooden pallets. How? A crane drops hooks next to us, we throw/bind means that the hooks can be placed, place the hooks then take a long step back until one of the experienced workers signals the crane operator to lift the pallets. I cant demonstrate how many accidents can happen, you can be squashed by the single pallets, a hook could be placed bad, something rips or tears. And youre dead. This for 10,80€ for 8.5 hours. Oh and toilet? Sure you can go to the toilet in your 30 minute break. In this heat where youre supposed to drink, but dont as you then need to go to the toilet. This is not the only shit ive seen, the people working there are disrespectful, want you to never rest and stand for 4.5 hours without a break. Totally a save environment, in working clothes and this heat!
Imagine you are full time worker. Have to pay rent, gas, electricity, food etc. If you work for 10,80€ per hour, and lets take a 8 hour work day as an example you earn 86,40€ per day. A week(5 days, sometimes more, last time my gf worked 7 days in a row) means 432€ pay. Lets just say a montly wage is 4.5 times the 432€ meaning 1944€, after taxes around 1.402€ . Average rent is around 400€-600€ without gas etc. After paying every most common utility, youre lucky if you have 100-500€ left for savings or fun activities. Dont forget, in germany you have to pay a mandatory pension, which is a fund based on everyone paying in and cashing out. Due to this system which is flawed, they increase the age where youre able to go to pension and how much you get back(mostly you get back less soon).
Meaning when its my time to retire i “can” do so at the “young” age of 69. with a pension of around 500-700€ per month depending on how much i paid. I dont even want children, but if you do or have…
I have the chance to earn slightly more and work in slightly more humane conditions after my studies, but really bless those poor guys who are stuck with this job and will never be able to do anything else.