News & Stories

Offenbach. A number of cases currently stand before the German Federal Labour Court concerning special protection from dismissal, for instance, for the disabled. Below is an outline of one of these decisions, one with far reaching implications for companies. More and more often employers are faced with the situation where employees, without being disabled at all, are making applications for recognition of disability. Employees hope this way to pressurise employers into making a settlement. This is now over.

Berlin. Fees levied by VG Media for cable television in hotel rooms were wrongfully charged. The High Court in Cologne gave judgement for the hotelier.

Offenbach. It's often the case that hotels make use of temporary agency workers only later to discover that these workers would make a good addition to their own team. But what about commission payable to the hire firm? In a move away from previous case law, the German Federal Court last December refused to strike out a commission clause in standard contract terms.

Munich. As many companies are already aware: Since the beginning of the year, all business e-mails, faxes and postcards in Germany are to include the same information as that already laid down for business letters.

Berlin. On 1 August 2006, the General Equal Treatment Act should have gone into force. The absence of the German President's assent, however, meant that the new law could not be fully enacted until this Friday with its publication in the Federal Law Gazette.