The BAG and CJEU decisions every employee in Germany should know — short, plain-English summaries with the practical takeaway.
Where the employer creates a pressure situation that materially impairs the employee’s free decision, the resulting termination agreement is invalid. Practical relevance: "sign within an hour" tactics now routinely fail.
Even a manifest breach of trust does not automatically justify a summary dismissal. A balancing of interests is required, taking into account long tenure and the magnitude of the loss.
Leiharbeitnehmer (temporary agency workers) deployed on a regular basis count towards the 10-employee threshold of § 23 (1) KSchG.
EU law requires the employer to warn the employee about unused holiday before it can forfeit. Otherwise unused days carry over indefinitely.
See also: glossary and the topic pages on termination agreements and summary dismissals.
Fill in the form — we will review your situation. Free of charge, typically within 48 hours. We handle German labour-law matters in English.
After your enquiry we review the details and reply with an initial assessment — whether the dismissal can be challenged, how high a likely severance could be and which next steps make sense.
Response time: we reply within 48 hours on working days. If you have already received a dismissal, please mention it — deadline-sensitive cases are prioritised.
This website does not replace legal advice. All content is provided for general information only and does not constitute legally binding advice on any individual matter. A legally reliable assessment of your specific situation requires an individual review by a German employment-law specialist. Despite careful research, the legal position may change through new statutes or court decisions; we accept no liability for the accuracy or completeness of the information.