Georg Haberkorn

Occupational Pensions: Principle of equal treatment does not apply to pension commitments for managing directors

By Georg Haberkorn / 13 January 2021 13 January 2021 / Benefits, Equal Treatment, Managing Director, Pension

By judgment of 25 November 2020 (docket number: 7 U 1297/20) the Munich Higher Regional Court [Oberlandesgericht München] has ruled that a managing director of a limited liability company [GmbH] cannot invoke the principle of equal treatment under labour law [arbeitsrechtlicher Gleichbehandlungsgrundsatz] if other managing directors have received a better pension commitment. The principle of …

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Occupational Pensions: Continuing liability for pension obligations after spin-off

By Georg Haberkorn / 8 January 2021 8 January 2021 / Benefits, Pension

By judgment of 22 September 2020 (docket number: 3 AZR 304/18) the German Federal Labor Court [Bundesarbeitsgericht – BAG] has ruled that the subsequent liability of a company involved in a spin-off according to the German Transformation Act [Abspaltung gemäß Umwandlungsgesetz]) with regard to pension liabilities also applies towards the German Statutory Insolvency Protection Fund …

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Occupational Pensions: European Court of Justice strengthens claims of pensioners in case of insolvency

By Georg Haberkorn / 24 November 2020 24 November 2020 / Benefits, Pension

By judgment of 9 September 2020 (docket number: ECLI:EU:C:2020:682; Joined Cases C-674/18 and C-675/18) the European Court of Justice has ruled that the settled case law of the German Federal Labour Court on the limited liability of the acquirer for pension entitlements in the event of insolvency does not apply without restriction. It is only …

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Occupational Pensions: Exclusion of survivor’s pension in case of marriage after early retirement

By Georg Haberkorn / 10 August 2020 10 August 2020 / Benefits, Discrimination, Pension

By judgment of 3 June 2020 (docket number: 3 AZR 226/19) the Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht – BAG) has ruled that the exclusion of a survivor’s pension is justified if the pension plan provides for full pension benefits in the event of early retirement on reaching the age of 50 and if the marriage was …

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Occupational Pensions: New law introduces insolvency protection for pension benefits granted via pension insurance funds (“Pensionskasse”)

By Georg Haberkorn / 6 August 2020 6 August 2020 / Benefits, Pension

According to a new law (“Siebtes Gesetz zur Änderung des Vierten Buches Sozialgesetzbuch und anderer Gesetze“, BGBl. 2020 I S. 1248 [1271]) pension benefits granted through a so-called pension insurance fund (“Pensionskasse”) will in future be protected against the insolvency of the employer. German occupational pension law stipulates that pension commitments can be granted not …

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Occupational Pensions: No liability of the employer for a reduction of benefits by an external pension carrier before the pension benefits fall due

By Georg Haberkorn / 16 July 2020 16 July 2020 / Benefits, Pension

By judgment of 12 May 2020 (docket number: 3 AZR 157/19) the Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht – BAG) has ruled that the employer’s liability for pension benefits based on pension commitments under the involvement of an external pension carrier pursuant to Section 1 Paragraph 1 Sentence 3 of the German Company Pensions Act (BetrAVG) only …

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Occupational Pensions: Partial retirement is to be treated as part-time work

By Georg Haberkorn / 30 March 2020 30 March 2020 / Benefits, Part-Time Work, Pension

By judgment of 21 January 2020 (docket number: 3 AZR 281/18) the Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht – BAG) has ruled that for the calculation of pension benefits partial retirement (Altersteilzeit) is to be treated as part-time work (Teilzeitarbeit). The employer and the former employee were in dispute over the question of whether periods of partial …

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Occupational Pensions: Employer’s obligation to carry out pension adjustments according to occupational pension law does not apply to non-occupational pension benefits

By Georg Haberkorn / 24 March 2020 24 March 2020 / Benefits, Pension

By judgment of 19 November 2019 (docket number: 3 AZR 281/18) the Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht – BAG) has ruled that, in the event that an employer has granted a total pension (Gesamtversorgung) which consists of both occupational pensions and other types of pension benefits, the employer’s obligation to carry out pension adjustments according to …

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Occupational Pensions: European Court of Justice confirms protection of employees in the event of employer insolvency

By Georg Haberkorn / 16 March 2020 16 March 2020 / Benefits, Pension

By judgment of 19 December 2019 (docket number: C-168/18) the European Court of Justice has ruled that employee’s pension entitlements which are based on so-called captive pension insurance schemes (Pensionskassenzusagen) are (to a certain extent) protected from benefit reductions in the event of employer insolvency. The plaintiff participated in a captive pension insurance scheme (Pensionskasse). …

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Occupational Pensions: Information provided by the employer to the employees must be correct, clear and complete

By Georg Haberkorn / 11 March 2020 11 March 2020 / Benefits, Pension

By judgment of 18 February 2020 (docket number: 3 AZR 206/18) the Federal Labour Court has ruled that if an employer provides information on occupational pensions such information must be correct, clear and complete. However, there is no general obligation to provide information on the social security treatment of pension benefits. The plaintiff participated in …

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Occupational pensions: Deviation from employer’s (contractual) obligation to adjust pension benefits requires detailed statement of reasons

By Georg Haberkorn / 20 November 2019 20 November 2019 / Benefits, Pension

By judgment of 21.06.2019 (docket number: 7 Sa 92/18) the State Labour Court Hamburg has ruled that a deviation from the employer’s obligation to adjust pension benefits in accordance with an increase in state pension benefits – as provided for in the employer’s pension plan in the event that the employer considers an adjustment “not …

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Entitlements on company pension are subject to particular protection in the event of a transfer of business according to Section 613 a German Civil Code

By Georg Haberkorn / 14 November 2019 14 November 2019 / Benefits, Pension, Transfer of business

By judgment of 22 October 2019 (docket number: 3 AZR 429/18) the Federal Labour Court has extended its settled case law regarding the replacement of pension plans in the event of mergers and acquisitions. A replacement of a pension plan by a pension plan existing at the acquirer a must be in accordance with the …

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Occupational Pensions: Federal Labour Court confirmed its ruling with respect to so-called “age difference clauses” in pension arrangements

By Georg Haberkorn / 21 December 2018 11 June 2019 / Benefits, Discrimination, Pension

By judgment of 11 December 2018 (docket number: 3 400/17) the Federal Labour Court has ruled that a so-called “age difference clause” (Altersabstandsklausel) providing that a survivor’s benefit is reduced if the age difference between the spouses is more than 10 years is admissible and is not to be considered as unjustified discrimination on grounds …

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Occupational pensions: No claim for employee to terminate an employee-funded direct life insurance policy

By Georg Haberkorn / 14 November 2018 11 June 2019 / Pension

By judgment of 26 April 2018 (docket number: 3 AZR 586/16) the Federal Labour Court has ruled that an employee has no claim against his employer to terminate an employee-funded direct life insurance policy (deferred compensation /salary conversion) in order to receive the surrender value. The employee (plaintiff) concluded a deferred compensation agreement with the employer …

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Transitional payment prior to retirement to be considered as an occupational pension

By Georg Haberkorn / 16 July 2018 11 June 2019 / Benefits, Pension

By judgment of 20.03.2018 (3 AZR 277/16) the Federal Labour Court has ruled that a transitional payment (taking into account pension payments) that is granted to a former employee during the first six months after their retirement is to be deemed to be an occupational pension and is, therefore, covered by the German Pension Insurance …

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