On 22 June and in what in principle puts an end to a more than eight-year legal battle, the Federal Labor Court (BAG), in the last instance, ruled that the ‘DHV, Der Berufsgewerkschaft trade union’, which is member of the small German Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CGB), was not entitled to negotiate collective agreements, because of its lack of representativeness.
According to the BAG, the DHV union, with around 66,000 members, does not have enough members in its stated areas of competence (banking and insurance, health insurance and social security, trade and services) to be able to negotiate with the employers on an equal footing. The ruling confirms an earlier Hamburg Regional Court decision from May 2020 (LAG Hamburg – c.f. article No. 11961). Plaintiffs in the BAG case welcomed the court’s decision, including the Verdi (services), NGG (hotel and...
Do you have information to share with us?