On 11 December 2024, the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, to which two food industry companies brought the matter, overturned two rulings handed down by the Erfurt labour court in 2020 and 2023. They referred the case for a subsequent decision, which was published on 19 February. It should have a definite impact on the labour courts’ scope of decision-making, when it comes to their possible “inroads” into the negotiating autonomy of the social partners.
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.