Recent news
Latest items of recent news relevant to Germany as reported in our fortnightly newswire ‘Dernières nouvelles’.
Germany: Combining the role of works council chairman and data protection officer
The Federal Labour Court has been considering whether a conflict of interests may arise from combining the two roles …
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Germany: Courts accept zero tolerance for sexist remarks
The Elmshorn Labour Court has made it clear that even a single instance of inappropriate sexist/sexual banter at a company-sponsored event is sufficient grounds for immediate dismissal …
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Germany: Success at last with Whistleblower Bill
It was perhaps inevitable that a succession of country laws would begin to cluster towards the middle of this year as the missed deadline to adopt the EU’s Whistleblower Directive begins to weigh heavily on straggling legislatures …
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Germany: The long saga of equal pay rights for temporary agency workers has run its course
A now notorious equal pay case has moved between successive labour courts and even the European Court of Justice …
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Germany: Decline in collective bargaining results in DGB call for new law
In recent times companies across Germany have been progressively embracing a freer and more competitive environment for setting pay …
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Germany: Representation of women on Supervisory Boards
The proportion of women on Supervisory Boards for the top 40 ‘Dax’ listed companies is now at an all-time high – at 37 …
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Germany: Customer service staff still limited by Working Hours Act
The illogical limitations of the Working Hours Act have recently been exposed by a case involving an online furniture sales company …
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Germany: Vacation given at the end of a fixed-term contract
Does an employer give rise to a permanent employment relationship simply because they allow an employee on a fixed-term contract to take leave due to them after the last day of their contract? This question recently found its way up to the Federal Labour Court (BAG), which agreed with lower courts …
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Germany: Specific data protection law covering the workplace proposed
There have been ruminations at a Federal and State level in Germany for many years about whether there should be a special data protection law to cover the employment relationship …
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Germany: €3,000 Inflation adjustment premium
Employers have until the end of 2024 to take advantage of the €3,000 premium, which is free of tax and social security …
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Germany: Changes in long-term care insurance
The rates of statutory insurance will change in July 2023 …
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Germany: Pay transparency rights little taken up
The right of women to request pay data to verify if men are rewarded differently has been on the statute book since 2017 …
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Germany: Sickness absence during a notice period
Employers will be familiar with the instance whereby an employee is dismissed and then goes on sick leave for their entire notice period …
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Germany: Termination without notice for employee who met up with a friend after ‘clocking on’ for work
The Higher Labour Court in Hamm has ruled in favour of an employer in a dismissal case involving an employee who took time to meet someone in a café after they had clocked into work …
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Germany: New TBE risk areas
Employers must widen their focus to new TBE risk areas …
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