Germany: Verdi allowed to enter Lidl subsidiaries to recruit members

Two discussions a month without management supervision. In terms of staff management, Lidl, second largest discounter in Germany after Aldi, seems like the sector’s “black sheep” for spying on its employees and preventing, several times, the election of works councils. Thus, in spite of its important workforce (50,000 employees in Germany), the discounter only has a dozen WCs. In the present case, Ver.di pressed charges against Lidl at the Stuttgart labor court to get wider access conditions in Lidl’s 86 subsidiaries, which employ over 1,200 employees in Kirchheim/Teck. However, the court of first instance dismissed its complaint. Verdi lodged an appeal with the labor court of the Land of Bade-Wurttemberg. Verdi says that, on April 15th, the parties put a term to their conflict via an amicable agreement. This agreement allows two Ver.di representatives to go to Lidl subsidiaries twice a month to try and recruit new members. The discussion cannot last more than 30 minutes. It can only take place in selling areas. Resting areas will be closed to unionists, who will have to send a notice fax to the management three days earlier. However, Lidl cannot impose the presence of a manager during the meeting between employees and union representatives.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

wever, the court of first instance dismissed its complaint. Verdi lodged an appeal with the labor court of the Land of Bade-Wurttemberg. Verdi says that, on April 15th, the parties put a term to their conflict via an amicable agreement. This agreement allows two Ver.di representatives to go to Lidl subsidiaries twice a month to try and recruit new members. The discussion cannot last more than 30 minutes. It can only take place in selling areas. Resting areas will be closed to unionists, who wil

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
United-Kingdom: Day-one rights for unpaid paternity leave
From 6 April 2026, fathers and partners will no longer need to demonstrate six months of service to qualify for paternity leave. This entitlement becomes a day-one right within the company...
30 March 2026
France: CMA-CGM seeks to adapt professional equality to seafaring roles
The news. On 23 March 2026, the shipowner CMA-CGM (17,600 employees in France) and the CFDT, CFE-CGC, and FO unions signed a gender equality agreement for the 2026-2030 period, as identified by...
Germany: crisis and transformation wage agreement in the chemical sector
Following a two-day marathon negotiation in Bad Breisig (Western Germany), the social partners of the German chemical and pharmaceutical industries—the IG BCE trade union and the BAVC employers'...
27 March 2026
Malta: a draft amendment to better protect against workplace harassment
The news. On 23 February 2026, the Maltese government introduced a draft amendment to the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, seeking to expand the scope of protection against workplace...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
3
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
4
EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
5
Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...