Home » HR practices » Professional development » Legal developments » National legislation » Germany: lack of legal validity for decisions made via videoconference poses a serious issue for works councils Germany: lack of legal validity for decisions made via videoconference poses a serious issue for works councils The German laws on codetermination are definitive. Works council decisions made via videoconference have no legal value. However, amid the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, works councils are having to make many decisions, in particular to authorise the range of short-time working measures that are being implemented. Therefore the German minister for employment and social affairs has announced that, in the view of his legal staff, decisions made via videoconference should be considered legally valid given the exceptional nature of the present situation. A directive on the matter is expected to arrive in due course. Through . Published on 25 March 2020 Ă 16h41 - Update on 25 March 2020 Ă 16h41 Resources According to IG Metall union spokesperson Silke Ernst, who spoke to Planet Labor, “the issue of the validity of works council decisions made by videoconference is a huge problem for such bodies, who keep calling us for advice”. She adds: “For example,… Managing the fallout of Covid-19 Need more info ? Contact mind's on-demand study service Which service do you want to contact :WritingCommercial serviceTechnical SupportFirst name Last name Organization Function email* Object of the message Your messageRGPD J’accepte la politique de confidentialitĂ©.CommentsThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Essentials Les dernières publications Supporting parenthood in the workplace: a win-win strategy Supporting employee carers: a CSR challenge Analyzes Les dernières publications Paternity leave: data observations from 41 countries EU: during H1 2022 five EU Member States have raised their minimum salary levels
