[BurningPenguin]

Huh, i guess i learned some new things today. I heard about allegations of them being criminal. Usually i'd file such claims under "conspiracy crap", because until now nobody bothered to explain why.

Also i didn't know that being in a union can be mandatory. Here in Germany it's up to you if you want to be part of it or not. With it comes plenty of advantages, like legal protection insurance for work related legal issues. You can go to a consultant that will look up your case and - if necessary - give it to a lawyer. They even offer help to people who want to become self-employed. All for a quite low monthly fee.

[eru]

Unions in Germany are sort-of mandatory. In the sense that whatever the unions negotiate also has legal consequences for non-union members. See https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarifbindung

About legality: have a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-show_job and https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/nyregion/no-show-jobs-tai...