The Bautzen Labor Court is facing a flood of lawsuits from Alstom employees. More than 800 employees at the Görlitz and Bautzen plants are demanding additional vacation pay for this year, according to the court. Court director Katrin Schmidt spoke of an unusually high workload, which may lead to delays in other proceedings.
The background to the lawsuits is that IG Metall has terminated the so-called future collective agreement with Alstom. According to the union, employees had waived their vacation pay in order to secure sites and jobs. However, in the opinion of IG Metall, the company has not kept its promises. In October, the French train manufacturer announced that it would close the plant in Görlitz with around 700 employees by the end of March 2026.
It remains to be seen when a decision will be made on the employees' lawsuits. The proceedings will probably be suspended for the time being and a decision by the Frankfurt am Main Labor Court will be awaited, explained Schmidt. A collective action is underway there, with which the employers' associations want to ensure that the termination of the future collective agreement is declared invalid.
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