June 2026 · Written on 13 November 2026. The month refers to the stated decision or effective date.
On 25 June 2026, in case 6 AZR 7/26, the Federal Labour Court held that dismissals can remain effective despite certain errors in a collective redundancy notification. In the case decided, the stated number of employees to be dismissed was slightly too high. The significance of the error for the notification procedure's purpose was central.
Practical implications
The decision does not permit incomplete notifications generally. Consultation, notification and individual dismissals remain separate tasks. Figures, timing and information given to the works council and employment agency should be consistent. Errors need assessment by their nature and effects rather than an assumption that the judgment cures all defects.
Four practical examples
Illustrative scenarios, not accounts of client matters. The appropriate response depends on the documents, applicable law and procedural position.
Figures change shortly before dismissal
The employer records why final numbers differ from the plan and what information was sent at each stage.
Consultation is unfinished
A notification is prepared while discussions continue. The required sequence must be checked carefully before dismissals are issued.
Several establishments are affected
Relevant establishments and thresholds are determined separately. Group-wide totals alone do not resolve the assessment.
A dismissal claim is filed
Consultation, notification and service records are preserved in full so that each procedural step can be demonstrated.
Documents and next steps
Workforce figures, planning revisions, consultation records, agency submissions, dismissal letters and service evidence.
Keep the relevant contract or decision, correspondence and all service and event dates. Identify the outcome you want and any running deadline. For urgent matters, please also call the office.
Source: Official source and further reading. Editorial legal position: 13 November 2026.
Discuss your matter
Tell us the parties involved, your objective and any deadlines. Our main office is in Hanover, Lower Saxony. We advise on German-law matters nationwide and coordinate cross-border work with locally qualified counsel where required.
Send an enquiry — all fields optional · +49 511 3573560
We check conflicts and agree the scope and fees before accepting instructions. An enquiry alone does not create an engagement or preserve a deadline.