Short Answer
The General Act on Equal Treatment grants you the legal right to demand financial compensation for national or ethnic discrimination.
Biased treatment regarding promotions, tasks, or verbal harassment is an explicit violation of federal labor law.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You tolerated xenophobic comments and biased performance reviews for over a year, assuming you had no recourse as a foreign worker on a visa. When you were passed over for a promotion in favor of a less-qualified local colleague, you discovered you had missed the strict legal window to take action. You suffered a permanent monthly salary loss of €600 and could not claim damages because you failed to file a complaint within the two-month statutory deadline.
What To Do
- Call an independent anti-discrimination advisory center or an employment lawyer the moment systematic bias occurs.
- Show all discriminatory emails, texts, and meeting notes to your company's official AGH complaint office (AGG-Beschwerdestelle).
- "Ich lege hiermit formelle Beschwerde wegen Diskriminierung nach dem Allgemeinen Gleichbehandlungsgesetz ein." (I herewith file a formal complaint regarding discrimination under the General Act on Equal Treatment.) — send this text via registered mail to HR.
The Truth
Germany has strict laws, but "subtle" discrimination remains a challenge. The system relies on you having a "thick file" of evidence before it can effectively intervene on your behalf.