Zur Verbreitung und Ausgestaltung geringfügiger Beschäftigung im Einzelhandel. Eine explorative Studie aus der Perspektive von Management und Beschäftigten

Abstract

Mini-jobbers in the retail sector are facing highly precarious working conditions and widespread violation of worker rights. This is what we found in an exploratory study based on semi-structured interviews with managers and employees in 22 outlets of 18 different retail companies and two retail head-offices in Saxony (former East Germany). Even though German labour law requires all employees to be treated equally, the unemployment rate of around 15 percent in the region induces many mini-jobbers to accept wages almost half the collective bargaining rate. As a rule they don’t get paid holidays and sickness absence, are called in to work and sent home at short notice, receive hardly any training and can be made redundant any time since many do not have a written work contract. Confronted with managers threatening with job cuts and shop closures, works councillors do not seem to insist on equal treatment. Some large retailers bound by collective bargaining evade trade union influence by employing their mini-jobbers in the name of newly founded non-union service companies.