History of work and dismissal at Super.web
Employment and work
I’m not completely new to IT, but it so happened that I started my career as a backend developer with a small Samara web studio that proudly calls itself Super.web. The studio is quite tiny. Together with me and the founder, 5 people worked there. Located in a semi-basement with 2 rooms, a toilet with a broken lock and a kitchen area of 3 square meters. This is not at all like the description of the offices of IT companies, but there is a monitor, a computer, a table and a chair, which means you can work. And it seemed like a good option, but I didn’t manage to work there for even 3 months.
How did this happen?
Let me start with the fact that during the reception there was a verbal agreement that I would be given an official job. But on the very first working day, the manager asked to wait until April to sign the contract (the first working day was at the end of February 2023), arguing that the company was preparing for IT accreditation. Not understanding the specifics of accreditation of IT companies, I agreed. Although I was not hired, the manager still asked me for my work record and also gave me an NDA to sign.
And now April is ending. I have been working “under the table” for 2 months, I receive my salary by transfer from the card of the manager’s wife. I spoke with the manager face to face to find out when they would sign an agreement with me. At the meeting we discussed the results of 2 months of my work. They told me that they were happy with the results and they would still process me. But the deadline was moved to May 23, 2023. Then I realized that I had been deceived into signing the contract in April, but still decided to wait until May 23 and see what would happen. I didn’t have to wait for May 23, because the manager informed me of the dismissal on May 15. There was no procedure for dismissal, because there was no registration. I simply packed my things, said goodbye via chat to my few colleagues and left the office.
The shock of the sudden dismissal lasted long enough. Only after almost a month did I decide to somehow overcome the injustice. To do this, I contacted the labor inspectorate. If you believe the inspector's response, then my manager denied the fact that I worked for the company. Thus, the appeal did not bring results. After receiving a response from the labor inspector, I contacted my now former manager and warned that I was going to demand official registration through the court. The manager offered to pay me 1 salary and hush up the matter. He promised to transfer the money by August. Considering how the company's management keeps promises, I was ready for the fact that this time I would be deceived. By August I had not received anything, so I decided to go to court. However, this time the employer paid what was promised. But he did it very late. He paid the money on August 13, which is almost 2 weeks later than promised.
These 2 weeks I did not wait for what was promised, but prepared a claim, thinking that I had been deceived once again. The money on lawyers has already been spent, the claims turned out to be more than the amount that my former employer gave me. As a result, the claim was sent to court. Of course, he did not provide these details to the employer.
Court
My claims were as follows:
establishing the fact of labor relations;
receiving a salary for forced absence from May 15, 2023 to July 31, 2023 (in August I started working for another company);
payment by the employer of all tax and insurance contributions based on accrued wages for the period from February 27, 2023 to July 31, 2023;
compensation for legal fees.
Of course, the employer did not want to comply with these demands, so he offered money for a settlement. But he did not agree to official registration. Everything had to be decided by the court.
The trial lasted a long time, 5 sessions. The judge hoped that I would agree to a settlement. As a result, she made a decision obliging the employer to register me from 02/27/2023 to 05/15/2023, pay all mandatory contributions and taxes for this period and partially compensate for the costs of lawyers. But my dismissal supposedly should be of my own free will.
This solution partially satisfied my requirements. And the fact that the judge ordered me to be dismissed on May 15 at my own request caused me bewilderment.
My lawyers and I filed an appeal.
The court of second instance satisfied my demands. At the time of writing this publication, I have not yet received either money or registration, so the story is not over.
Colleague's story
For comparison, I’ll briefly tell you the story of a colleague from Super.web, who did nothing in a similar situation.
This happened a couple of months after my expulsion. I learned about everything from personal correspondence.
A colleague, like me, received his salary in an envelope. The question of official employment was NOT raised. And then one day management decided to reduce costs at the expense of the employee and resorted to a simple trick. The manager told the colleague that he could not cope with his responsibilities, so he offered to move to another position for a lower salary. I think it’s clear that there were no certification procedures or confirmation of qualifications. Everything is in words.
A sharp reduction in wages was not part of the colleague’s plans, and he simply left, believing in his incompetence. He left without receiving any work experience, severance pay, or recognition of professional merit. Depreciation and doubts about one’s own professionalism – this is the “thank you” for your work from the management of Super.web.
Despite the fact that my story can be considered an example of a successful fight for your rights, I still recommend avoiding my mistakes. Know your rights, stand up for them, do it quickly but smartly, build personal connections with colleagues and support them. If your labor rights are violated, write to the feedback bot (link). And, of course, defend yourself collectively. In this case, the chances of success increase.
