Recent news
Latest items of recent news relevant to Germany as reported in our fortnightly newswire ‘Dernières nouvelles’.
Germany: Unauthorized reading of emails and disclosure of data to strangers justifies termination without notice
The Cologne Regional Labour Court (LAG) has found that the reading of emails and communication to others is an offence justifying dismissal …
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Germany: Threats against the supervisor justify termination without notice
The Siegburg Labour Court has found that an employee in an accounting department was lawfully dismissed after making violent threats about his Supervisor …
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Germany: No minimum wage required for mandatory internship
The Federal Labour Court (BAG) has ruled that those undertaking a period of mandatory internship prior to completing a course of study are not entitled to the minimum wage …
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Germany: Government wants to attract 400,000 skilled foreign workers
The new coalition government is planning to attract 400,000 new qualified workers to take up residence in the country as soon as possible …
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Germany: March 8 to be a holiday in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from 2023
A new public holiday will be celebrated in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania from next year …
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Germany: Employee absence
How serious does employee absence need to be in order to escape the special protection offered by Works Council membership? The Labour Court in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was recently called to evaluate a case where a substitute works council member had been absent in an erratic way for one third of their working time since 2016 …
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Germany: No subsequent granting of leave during corona quarantine
If an employee is on vacation and is asked to go into isolation due to a positive COVID-19 test result, then they may not claim sick leave for the lost days of annual leave unless they obtain a certificate of incapacity (AU) …
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Germany: Accident protection when using company bicycles
The Baden-Württemberg Labour Court has accepted that an accident on a company-provided bicycle constituted an event that should be covered by statutory accident insurance …
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Germany: Online arbitration boards and virtual works meetings (again) permitted
The two Federal houses of parliament have passed § 129 BetrVG, which once again reintroduces a facility to hold company assemblies and arbitration board meetings via video conferencing …
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Germany: Collectively agreed wages (2021)
GERMANY: During 2021, collectively agreed wages were increased for around 12M people, and a further 6 million benefited from rises negotiated in earlier years …
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Germany: Sick leave by telephone extended until March 2022
Until 31st March 2022, employees with mild respiratory diseases requiring absence for up to 7 days may obtain, or extend, their sick leave certificates by telephone …
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Germany: Tesla German factory workers to set up union works council
Although the new Tesla plant in Brandenburg is only up to a sixth of its full personnel capacity, the Union IG Metall is already planning formation of its Works Council …
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Germany: Access rule for a works council meeting
The Labour Court in Bonn has ruled that a Works Council member may participate in meetings purely on the basis of a negative PCR test …
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Germany: Shorter vacation time with short-time work
If an employee is required to go onto short-time working, their vacation entitlement may be reduced …
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Germany: Electronic notification of sickness
From 1st July next year, employees taking sick leave will no longer have to give a yellow slip to their employer, but the health insurer will send it to the employer in digital form …
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