The Champions League of labour law comes to Bonn.
The 2nd
Bonn Labour Law Day is now behind us. The day marked a special
anniversary for Arbeitsrecht Bonn e.V.: exactly three years
earlier, on 19 June 2023, the association had been founded. Three
years later, on precisely the same date, it had the honour of
welcoming the Champions League of labour law to Bonn.
Under the overarching theme “Labour Law in Germany and Europe:
Current Challenges and Developments”, scholars, members of the
judiciary, politicians, legal practitioners, social partners,
companies and the next generation of labour law professionals came
together at the Gustav Stresemann Institute. With almost 200
participants, the event made clear just how big the interest in
labour law in Bonn is.
The very opening highlighted the special character of the day: the
breakfast discussion for students provided an opportunity for an
informal exchange with Inken Gallner, President of the Federal
Labour Court.
The conference programme featured an exceptional line-up: Stefan
Greiner, Director of the Institute for Labour Law and Social
Security Law at the University of Bonn, opened the day; Prof. Dr.
Martin Böse, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Bonn,
delivered a welcoming speech. Martin Eifert, Judge at the Federal
Constitutional Court, provided the academic opening with his
presentation on “Freedom and Equality in the Social Constitutional
State”. Johannes Winkel, Member of the German Bundestag, turned
the focus to the legal policy agenda in labour and social law.
One of the highlights was the panel discussion “Between Reform and
Stagnation – Where Is German Labour Law Heading?” featuring
attorney and specialist labour law attorney Nathalie Oberthür,
Prof. Dr. Johanna Wenckebach (General Counsel of IG Metall),
Johannes Winkel, Member of the German Bundestag, and Roland Wolf
(BDA), moderated by Dr. Jürgen vom Stein (President of the Higher
Labour Court of Cologne).
After lunch, Inken Gallner spoke about working within a
multi-level system and an integrated network of courts. Prof. Dr.
Heinrich Kiel, Vice-President of the Federal Labour Court, then
addressed recent legal developments concerning employee status.
Stefan Greiner concluded the programme with “Three Years of the
Whistleblower Protection Act – Lessons Learned?”. RAin/FAinArbR
Ebba Herfs-Röttgen guided participants through the conference as
overall moderator.
What remains is the impression of an exceptional event:
outstanding in terms of expertise, vibrant in atmosphere and
driven by a noticeable enthusiasm for labour law discourse. Our
heartfelt thanks go to all speakers, contributors, guests and
everyone who helped make this day possible.
We are already looking forward to the 3rd Bonn Labour Law Day in
two years’ time.
On 4/20/2026 at 6 p.m., the next edition of the Labor Law
Practitioners Seminar will take place in the Festsaal of the
University of Bonn (main building).
Prof. Dr. Anne Christin Wietfeld, University of Münster, will speak
on the topic "Climate protection in labor law" and will, among other
things, take a look at the implementation of the Sustainability
Directive (EU) 2024/1760. You are cordially invited! More
information can be found
here.
In the fifth labor law practitioners seminar, Prof. Dr. Adam Sagan of the University of Bayreuth spoke on the topic "Legislation on pay transparency – fundamental problems, current status, and need for action." The speaker explained to the audience, which included attendees from the legal profession and the private sector, the challenges, opportunities, and risks that the implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970) holds for legislators and practitioners. He paid particular attention to the employee's right to information under Article 7 of the Directive. He then answered questions on the topic in a lively discussion with the audience and responded to suggestions and comments. In keeping with the tradition of the practitioners seminar, the participants concluded the evening together at a restaurant in Bonn.
At the labor law practitioners seminar, Judge at the Federal Labor Court Oliver Klose spoke on the topic: "Current developments and fundamentals of vacation law." In front of an a large audience, the speaker discussed and commented on several current and practically relevant questions of vacation law, including the notification obligation devised by the EuGH and the statute of limitations for vacation entitlement.
On May 16, 2025, a workshop with practitioners and students took
place at the offices of the Flick Gocke Schaumburg law firm. Its
topic was "Compliance: Fundamentals and Current Developments."
What is compliance about? Literally translated, the term
compliance means meeting requirements; in a narrower sense, this
means legal compliance and adherence to laws and regulations by
the company and its employees, as well as "integrity, honesty, and
business ethics." It concerns the measures a company takes to
ensure both a legally compliant and honest conduct of business and
the employee behavior necessary for this. These measures are
suitable for detecting or preventing violations and can, for
example, be issued in the form of rules and guidelines, or may
also be prescribed by law. What is required varies depending on
the rules that need to be complied with, the type of company, and
also its risk appetite. How much effort is necessary? What steps
are required, and which are merely "cosmetic fixes"? What options
does a company have to clarify violations through internal
investigations? What regulations and requirements must be observed
in doing so? These and other questions were discussed with an
engaged audience.
On 1/14/2025, Arbeitsrecht Bonn e.V. hosted its next event. At its center was a lecture by the recently newly appointed Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, Prof. Dr. Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider. She gave a lecture in the Festsaal of the University of Bonn on the topic "Current developments in (employee) data protection." The lecture was followed by an engaged expert discussion and a New Year's reception.
On November 18, 2024, another event of the labor law practitioners seminar took place in the Festsaal of the University of Bonn. Prof. Dr. Angie Schneider gave a lecture on the topic "The concept of employee – developments and current challenges."
On June 20, 2024, the 1st Bonn Labor Law Day took place at the
premises of Deutsche Telekom AG. Under the general theme "The
future of labor law: what practitioners must prepare for,"
representatives from academia and practice discussed several
forward-looking topics in labor law.
The conference, led and moderated by Prof. Dr. Stefan Greiner,
began with a welcome address by the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of
Law and Political Science at the University of Bonn, Prof. Dr.
Martin Böse. The lecture series was opened by the President of the
Federal Labor Court, Inken Gallner, with a lecture on the topic
"Design challenges of labor law in Europe." This was followed by a
lecture by the former President of the Federal Social Court, Prof.
Dr. Rainer Schlegel, on the topic "Securing the future of the
welfare state." Afterward, Ms. Gallner and Mr. Schlegel, moderated
by Dr. Jürgen vom Stein, discussed with Prof. Dr. Raimund
Waltermann and Dr. Gerlind Wisskirchen what impulses labor law and
social security need in light of Generation Z, digitalization, and
mobile work. Following this, Ms. Ebba Herfs-Röttgen spoke on the
framework conditions and design options that exist for mobile work
both domestically and abroad. Afterward, Dr. Sandy Siegfanz-Strauß
and Dr. Ursula Neuhoff explained the topics of pay equity and pay
transparency. The conference concluded with a lecture by Prof. Dr.
Gregor Thüsing on the challenges of digitalization and data
protection.
On March 18, 2024, the second event of the labor law practitioners seminar took place in the Festsaal of the University of Bonn. Judge at the Federal Labor Court Dr. Anno Hamacher gave a lecture on the topic "The application for continued employment in labor court proceedings."
On November 13, 2023, the first event of Arbeitsrecht Bonn e.V. took place. Prof. Dr. Markus Stoffels of the University of Heidelberg gave a lecture in the Festsaal of the University of Bonn on the topic of pay equity and freedom of contract. This was followed by an intensive discussion with representatives from academia, the judiciary, the legal profession, and students. With this event, we resumed the labor law practitioners seminar that was developed by Prof. Dr. Meinhard Heinze and hosted by him until his death. Going forward, the practitioners seminar is intended to take place regularly several times a year under the auspices of Arbeitsrecht Bonn e.V.
On June 19, 2023, the founding assembly of the association "Arbeitsrecht Bonn e.V." took place in the Faculty Hall of the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Bonn. More than 20 founding members adopted, among other things, the association's bylaws at this assembly and elected the board for the first time.
