Score
worsened

2024 Score

88.5

2022 Score

89

2020 Score

84

Rating

Approaching Access to Decent Work

Fair
Wages

80

Decent
Working Hours

100

Employment
Security

80

Family
Responsibilities

75

Maternity
at Work

100

Safe
Work

100

Social
Security

100

Fair
Treatment

100

Child &
Forced Labour

100

Freedom of
Association

50

Fair Wages - 80

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the legislation or collective negotiation set and determine the minimum wages in the country? Yes 1 §1(III), 22 & 24 of the Minimum Wage Law; §5 Collective Agreement Act; §15 of the Act on Minimum Working Conditions
No Change
Does the law require regular and timely payment of wages? Yes 1 §612, 614 of German Civil Code; §2, 1, 6, 10 of Law (Nachweisgesetz)
No Change
Does the law require overtime compensation to be at least 125% of the regular hourly rate? No 0 Determined under the CBA. §3, 7(1), 9(1) & 14 of the Hours of Work Act; §612 of German Civil Code
No Change
Does the law require any additional compensation for working on a weekly rest day? Yes 1 Hours of Work Act, Public Holiday and Sick Pay Act; §2(I) Nr. 6 of Law o(Nachweisgesetz)
No Change
Does the law require additional compensation for night work? Yes 1 §2(3), 6 & 7(1) of the Hours of Work Act
No Change

Decent Working Hours - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law stipulate general weekly working hours as 48 hours or lower? Yes 1 §3, 7(1), 9(1) & 14 of the Hours of Work Act; §612 of German Civil Code
No Change
Does the law restrict maximum working hours, including overtime, to 56 hours per week? Yes 1 & 14 of the Hours of Work Act
No Change
Does the law require a paid weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours? Yes 1 §1, 8 & 9 of Part-Time and Fixed-Term Work Act; §4, 7, 9(1-2), 10 & 11(1, 4) of the Hours of Work Act
No Change
Does the law require paid public holidays? Yes 1 §2(1-3) Public Holiday and Sick Pay Act
No Change
Does the law require at least three working weeks of paid annual leave? Yes 1 §3 & 11 of the Federal Holiday Act; §19 of the German Youth Employment Protection Act
No Change

Employment Security - 80

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law require a written employment contract or employment particulars to be given to a worker on commencement of employment? Yes 1 §2(I) of Law on notification of conditions governing an employment relationship (Nachweisgesetz)
No Change
Does the law restrict the hiring of fixed-term contract workers? Yes 1 §14 & 16 Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act; Temporary Employment Act
No Change
Does the law limit the length of the probation period, including renewals, to three months? No 0 §622 (3) of German Civil Code
No Change
Does the law require a 30-day notice period before employment contract termination? Yes 1 §622-623 of German Civil Code; §15 of Protection against Dismissal Act, §85 & 91 of the Social Code IX
No Change
Does the law require severance pay at the rate of at least two weeks of wages for every year of service? Yes 1 §1(a) of Protection against Dismissal Act (PADA)
No Change

Family Responsibilities - 75

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law require a four-month parental leave for parents? Yes 1 §1, 2, 12(2), 15(1-4) & 16 of the Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act
No Change
Does the law require at least one week of paid paternity leave for fathers*? No 0 §13 & 14 of Maternity Protection Act
No Change
Does the law require flexible working arrangements* for workers with family responsibilities? Yes 1 §45 & 47, Social Code V; §2, Act on Family Care Leave; Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act
No Change
Does the law require paid nursing breaks? Yes 1 §7(1-3) of the Maternity Protection Act
No Change

Maternity at Work - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law prohibit inquiring about pregnancy during recruitment? Yes 1 §2 and 3 of the General Act on Equal Treatment of 14th August 2006
No Change
Does the law require maternity leave of at least 14 weeks? Yes 1 §1, 3(1-2), 5(1-2) & 6(1-2) of the Maternity Protection Act
No Change
Does the law require cash maternity benefits to be at least two-thirds (66.67%) of a worker's former wage? Yes 1 §3(1), 5(2), 11(1), 13(1-2), 14(1) of the Maternity Protection Act
No Change
Does the law require cash maternity benefits to be paid through a contributory social insurance or a universal benefits system or such benefits are an employer's liability? Yes 1 §3(1), 5(2), 11(1), 13(1-2), 14(1) of the Maternity Protection Act
No Change
Does the law protect workers from dismissals during or on account of pregnancy? Yes 1 §9(1-3) of the Maternity Protection Act; 18(1) of the Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act
No Change

Safe Work - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law require employers to provide free personal protective equipment to workers? Yes 1 §3(2-3), 5, 9 & 15(2) of Employee Protection at Work Act and Trade association(BGR)
No Change
Does the law require employers to train workers on health and safety Issues? Yes 1 §9 & 12 of the Employee Protection at Work Act; §618 of the Civil Code
No Change
Does the law restrict work that is prejudicial to the health of the mother or the child? Yes 1 §2(1-5), 4(1-5), 6(3), 8, 11(1) & 16 of the Maternity Protection Act; §618 of Civil Code
No Change
Does the law provide for employment injury benefits in the event of an occupational accident or disease? Yes 1 Book VII and IX of the Social Code
No Change

Social Security - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law provide for an old age benefit? Yes 1 Book VI of the Social Security Code
No Change
Does the law provide for survivors' benefits? Yes 1 Book VI of the Social Security Code
No Change
Does the law provide for unemployment benefits? Yes 1 §Book II and III (136(ff)) of the Social Code
No Change
Does the law require paid sick leave (and sickness benefits) for the first six months of sickness? Yes 1 §3-5 of the Public Holiday and Sick Pay Act; §84 of the Social Code IX; §44 of Social Code V
Score adjusted due to a minor revision in methodology
Does the law provide for invalidity benefits? Yes 1 Book VI of the Social Security Code
No Change

Fair Treatment - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law require equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value? Yes 1 §1, 2(2) & 8(2) of the General Act on Equal Treatment; Pay Transparency Act of 30 June 2017
No Change
Does the law prohibit sexual harassment in employment? Yes 1 §1, 3(4), 7 & 15 of the General Act on Equal Treatment
No Change
Does the law prohibit discrimination in employment matters? Yes 1 §1, 2, 3, 7 & 15 of the General Act on Equal Treatment; §4, 5, & 11 of the Part-Time and Fixed-Term Work Act
No Change
Does the law allow women to do the same job as men? Yes 1 §3(2), 12 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany; §1 & 7 of the General Act on Equal Treatment
No Change
Does the law guarantee basic labour protection to the platform workers? Yes 1 §7(1) of the Social Insurance Code; Book IV of Social Security Code IV
No Change

Child & Forced Labour - 100

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law prohibit the employment of children? Yes 1 §2, & 5(1-3) of the Young Individuals' Protection in Employment Act
No Change
Does the law set employment entry age equal to or higher than the compulsory schooling age? Yes 1 §35-41 of the NRW school law - SchulG, 2005
No Change
Does the law prohibit the employment of young persons in hazardous work under the age of 18 years? Yes 1 §22, 23, 24 & 25 of the Young Individuals' Protection in Employment Act
No Change
Does the law prohibit forced labour? Yes 1 §12 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany
No Change

Freedom of Association - 50

Question Answer Score Legal Basis Trend
Does the law allow workers to form and join unions of their own choice? Yes 1 §9 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany 1949; §1, 2, 7, & 80(ff) of the Works Constitution Act, 2001
No Change
Does the law allow workers to bargain collectively with employers through their representative unions? No 0 §2-3, Works Constitution Act, 2001; §9, 33(5) Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany 1949; §1-3 of the Collective Bargaining Act, 1969; CEACR, C98, Obs. 2021
No Change
Does the law provide the right to strike? No 0 §33(5) Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany 1949; CEACR, C87, Obs. 2021
Score adjusted because of availability of a legal source
Does the law prohibit imposing excessive sanctions against striking workers, including replacement of such workers? Yes 1 §9 of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany 1949; §11(5) of the Manpower Provision Act 1995 (Could not locate this law hence unable to verify the reference )
No Change

*In order to measure the trend in country’s legislative performance over the last edition of the Labour Rights Index (2022), the following legend is used.

Score increase

Score decrease

Score adjustment

Methodological change

No change