Freelance worker fired after asking to be paid for extra work: 'I got a termination email claiming disrespectful conduct'

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    Mail 9 3 ab
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    American boss (who came to Europe for work-life balance) fired me because I wasn't willing to work for free on weekends
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    Title basically. I live in. Europe and work on a freelance contract thats paid hourly. I have a verrry pushy American supervisor who likes to call on weekends and off- days and request unrelated, extra work.
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    (Keep in mind this person was always dunking on US work culture)
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    I wanted to set some limits, but stupid me not wanting to embarrass them by pointing the excessive call logs,
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    thought they'd get the hint if I asked to bill the extra hours instead. Oh boy. I got a text stating that the reason I must be working during off-days. is my poor time- management skills, and
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    that I shouldn't mistake my "overwhelm" for having a large workload. (??)
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    When I asked for an instance when they felt that my organization skills were lacking, they ghosted me for an entire
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    week. Then today I got a terminatation email claiming disrespectful conduct. Oh and they waited until the last possible second of the two-week notice to send it. I don't know the details
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    of freelance labor protection laws but I'm pretty sure you can't just fire someone for asking extra work to be paid?
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    TL:DR Boss ignores the labor protections they moved here for. Insulted me, ghosted me and fired me for asking to be paid for excessive overtime.
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    L1A1 • 3h ago If you're freelance you generally do the work you're contracted to do, and agree that contract before you start.
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    I'm doing some freelance work at the moment, I bill them for hours worked, regardless of when that is. If
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    they contact me and that needs actioning immediately then that's added to the hours invoiced to them. I'm also unavailable at weekends or evenings as mentioned in my contract.
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    Hoffi1 • 3h ago Freelance means that you are not am employee and therefore have no protection. If you are dependent in a client you have to be available for them 24/7.
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    The trick is to put a emergency weekend consultation fee in the small print that a 15 min call cost them 300$. After the first bill the weekend calls will drop to a minimum.
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    • Juggletrain 1h ago Translation might be failing me, but it looks as if you are classified as a Freiberufler? But you seem to be working as an employee.
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    You may have protections as a freelancer due to your contract or German laws. But even more doing for them, you may not qualify as a freelancer. If they
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    misclassified you you could be in for a big payout by going through employment lawyers or labor boards.

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