On 26 November, the Federal Administrative Court ruled that a decree issued by State of Hesse which gave exceptions to certain economic activities, allowing them to increase operations at the weekend, is in the most part void. Although the decree concerned very “peripheral” activities (eg. video libraries, call centers, etc.), it was still of great general significance. According to the court, German regions have introduced too many unjustified exceptions. A return to the fundamental stance of labor law, prohibiting all Sunday work, has been ordered. It is thought that this judgment will influence future case law on the issue of work on Sundays.
Does the population of the State of Hessen really need libraries, video libraries, call centers or lottery ticket shops to be open on Sundays? Is it right for breweries or ice-cream producers to demand their employees to work at the weekend so they can satisfy demand in peak season? In a judgment that was made public on 26 November (n° BVerwG 6 CN 1.13), judges from the Federal Administrative Court of Leipzig decided that this was not the case. They thus confirmed that the decree issued by the
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