• miridius@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    How is being a contractor relevant here? A normal employee could say exactly the same things

    • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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      1 year ago

      Yeah and a normal employee can actually be fired. But independent contractors are usually on completely different contracts so unless the contract actually says they have to start at 9:00 a.m. they don’t have to do anything. Refusing to start at 9:00 a.m. is not a breach of contract like it would be for an employee.

      I’m a contractor because the company that I contracted for is far too cheap to actually pay full-time staff, I tend to get in around 10am ish (although one time I started at 4:00 am because for some reason I had loads of energy and couldn’t sleep but then I finished it like 11am so I still did short hours).

      As long as a contractor does the work there isn’t really much else they can complain about unless the employer puts other stuff into the contract. It sounds like in this case they didn’t.

    • KredeSeraf@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      And get fired without pay. Contractors have some problems of their own, but their contract usually guarantees a certain amount of pay and if they’re any kind of smart, specific job duties.

      • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        I mean, only if you live a country that hates people and refuses to pass any laws about worker protection. If a dutch employer wants to fire you for “Not doing things that aren’t in your contract”, they’re going to have to a hard time.

        • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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          1 year ago

          Even in the USA I don’t think that companies can get away with that.

          I have worked for US employers and they are generally aware that contracts are somewhat more enforced than worker rights.

        • KredeSeraf@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          That’s what I said. Contracts protect their named contractors. It’s the regular employees who would get fucked here.

    • Cornelius_Wangenheim@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Independent contractors, by definition, control their own hours and method of work. If a company tries to control their work, they’re actually an employee. This matters because companies have to pay FICA taxes for W2 employees, but not for 1099 contractors. It’s a type of tax fraud called employee misclassification that the IRS has been cracking down on.