Many young Vietnamese who paid brokers thousands of euros for vocational training in Germany say they have been overworked, cheated of wages and unlawfully fired.
Детали события In late August, Hong Hanh, 23, attended a conciliation hearing with her former employer at the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Berlin) to contest what she says was an unlawful dismissal.
The Ho Chi Minh City native had spent nine months in Germany, shocked by her meager take-home pay and constant work.
When exhaustion forced her to ask for sick leave, she said, her broker and the restaurant owner pressed her to sign a voluntary resignation that would strip her of unemployment benefits. She refused and was immediately handed a dismissal notice.
The restaurant owner did not attend the hearing, sending a lawyer who argued the dismissal was valid because Hanh had shown no interest in the job.
With no agreement reached, her industry's trade union is providing legal support to take the case to the Labor Court, which is expected to hear it late this year.
"When I came to Germany for vocational training, I could not have imagined going through these difficulties," Hanh said.
Germany is Europe's largest economy and the world's third largest, behind the U.S. and China, according to International Monetary Fund data.
Vocational training in Germany took off among Vietnamese around 2018-2019 as the country eased its rules, including through the Skilled Immigration Act, to address labor shortages.