Germany: Employment Litigation/ Tribunals

The German Federal Labour Court examines whether minor errors in mass dismissal notifications automatically invalidate terminations, providing crucial guidance for employers navigating collective redundancy procedures. This commentary analyzes the court's June 25, 2026 ruling and its implications for employment law practice.

In our article Update on AGG Hopping, we provided an overview of the existing case law on “AGG hopping,” which is the practice of filing fake job applications for the sole purpose of rejection in order to file a discrimination under the General Act on Equal Treatment (“AGG”). In its judgment of May 7, 2026 (2 Ca 6536/25), the Düsseldorf Labor Court has now taken a firm stance against a “classic AGG hopper,” expressly departing from the established case law of the German Federal Labor Court.

Germany's AGG hopping practice involves individuals submitting fake job applications solely to provoke discriminatory rejections and claim compensation under the General Act on Equal Treatment. Courts have established high thresholds for proving abuse of rights, while employers face significant liability risks despite recent case law developments and pending legislative amendments that may further complicate the landscape.

German labor law is known beyond its borders for its far-reaching protection against dismissals.

In order to increase presence in the office, many employers are renegotiating existing provisions on working from home. In doing so, the interests of employers in increasing productivity...

The German Federal Labour Court has clarified the rules on when an employee who makes offensive comments about colleagues in a private chat can be dismissed.

In Tarifverträgen kann der Anspruch auf eine jährliche Sonderzahlung, mit der auch geleistete Arbeit vergütet wird, vom Bestand des Arbeitsverhältnisses zu einem Stichtag außerhalb des Bezugszeitraums im Folgejahr...

Die Geltendmachung des Anspruchs auf Entgeltfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall gemäß § 3 Abs.

Eine mündlich ausgesprochene Eigenkündigung des Arbeitnehmers ist formnichtig; die Berufung auf die Formnichtigkeit ist selbst dann möglich, wenn während eines Zeitraums von 2 ...