Termination of Employment - Protection against Dismissal in Germany 

An Introduction for foreign businesses

Commitment to a particular location entails a purely pragmatic aspect – the company’s human resources policy. One aspect is the question of what needs to be taken into account when employment relationships have to be terminated. Germany has an intricate statutory employment-protection system – but not only that. When major workforce reductions are envisaged, the works council also has wide-ranging co-determination rights. As well as the Protection Against Dismissal Act itself, there are several other legal provisions to take into account.

With this brochure, we want to give foreign companies a succinct overview of the most important provisions and a better understanding of the specific features prevailing in Germany. The text has been designed purely as a starting point. It should not be regarded as an authoritative statement of the law, nor can it replace specific legal advice, especially since the interpretation of laws is largely a matter for the courts to decide.

Gesamtmetall is the nationwide umbrella association of the regional employer associations representing companies in the metal and electrical industry. Our associations maintain a well-structured network of local offi ces and offer a high level of expertise in all labour-law issues. If your company belongs to one of the employer associations, you will be able to access this legal advice at any time.

This is the second volume in our series of brochures for foreign companies.

Member companies can order copies of the brochure free of charge from their regional association (please contract the person in charge of International Affairs). Non-members can order copies from the edition agrippa. Please contact Sonja Zengel (zengel@iwkoeln.de) for further details.