German labour law refers to the regulation of employment relationships and industrial partnerships in Germany.
General Commission of German Trade Unions (1892–1919)Free Association of German Trade Unions (1897–1919)Weimar Constitution 1919Betriebsrätegesetz 1920Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (1919–1933)Free Workers' Union of Germany (1919–1933)Arbeitsordnungsgesetz of 1934German Labour Front, the nationalised Nazi controlled union (1933 to 1945)Strength Through JoyCouncil of Trust and Factory leaderConfederation of German Trade Unions (est 1949)Mitbestimmungsgesetz 1976Courts and constitution
Grundgesetz (1949) "Article 9 (Freedom of association). (1) All Germans have the right to form associations and societies. (2) Associations, the objects or activities of which conflict with the criminal laws or which are directed against the constitutional order or the concept of international understanding, are prohibited. (3) The right to form associations to safeguard and improve working and economic conditions is guaranteed to everyone and to all trades and professions. Agreements which restrict or seek to hinder this right are null and void; measures directed to this end are illegal."ArbeitsgerichtsgesetzBurgerliches Gesetzbuch (Civil Code) §§ 611–630Teilzeit- und Befristungsgesetz (Part-time and Fixed-term Work Act), §14(2) two-year fixed term limitArbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz (Employee Leasing Act)Urlaubsgesetz (Holidays Act)Mutterschutzgesetz (Act on Maternity Protection)Kundigungsschutzgesetz (Dismissal Protection Act)Betriebsverfassungsgesetz (Business Constitution Act) requires establishment of Works Councils where there are five or more employeesMitbestimmungsgesetz (Codetermination Act)DGBTarifvertragsgesetz (Collective Agreement Act)In July 2014 the country began legislating to introduce a federally mandated minimum wage law, the Gesetz zur Regelung eines allgemeinen Mindestlohns (Mindestlohngesetz - MiLoG) (unofficial translation: "Act Regulating a General Minimum Wage (Minimum Wage Act)"), which came into effect on 1 January 2015. The minimum wage is set at €8.50 per hour.
The European Commission introduced an infringement procedure against Germany on 19 May 2015, arguing that the application of this law in the transport sector had a disproportionately restrictive impact on the freedom to provide services and the free movement of goods, two of the principal freedoms on which the European Union is based. The Commission issued a supplementary letter on this subject to the German authorities on 16 June 2016, initiating two months' notice of potential legal action.
