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Isn't "except in emergencies" just asking for a company to liberally define "emergency"?

Most larger companies have time tracking and pay extra hours in such cases. If that happens too often, controlling will definitely like to have a word with you.

I worked for multiple larger corps as a freelancer and they are very strict about "8 hours per day". They did the math and know that if I work 10, they pay 2 hours for the same price, but at less efficiency.

FYI, idiomatic English would read, "They did the math," not "They made the math."

Yep, it is way beyond idiomatic time in germany ;). Thanks for the correction, you are right ;).

There are plenty of jobs where you're technically always on call. Firefighters, paramedics, doctors, soldiers, etc. What stops employers from simply informing their employees that, from now on, they are all on call 24 hours a day?

Be aware that the employers themselves are making those rules. The idea actually comes from car manufacturers in Germany.

Also, all the jobs you mentioned have contractual clauses regulating that, like payment for emergency work and payment for on-call duty.

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