The Court's Decision: Deutsche Welle Still Obliged to Shell Out Former Program Director's Pension
- Damn it! Grab a beer, this one's a doozy.
German Welle is ordered to proceed with the payment of the pension for their ex-programme director. - Pension Obligation for Deutsche Welle's Former Programme Director Remains Active per Court Ruling
Back in 2011, the fella had inked a five-year contract with Deutsche Welle, stating he'd receive a jolly good pension if his contract wasn't rolled over. Upon contract expiration, he was to be paid his full salary for three months, then three-quarters of it for another four years and nine months. After that, he'd get the usual pension stuff in line with Deutsche Welle's collective agreement.
Deutsche Welle paid up the agreed pension until April 2019, but only 60% from May 2019 onwards. In late 2024, they tried pulling a fast one, suing for the return of roughly 130,000 euros in pension paid in 2021. They argued that the contract was fishy if it allowed for pension payments beyond five years post-contract until the start of the statutory retirement age, making it against public policy.
But the court ain't buying it. They tossed the lawsuit, and instead granted the former program director's counterclaim for continued payments from January 2025. The justice system explained that the former program director's pension rights came from the employment contract, and it didn't break any rules.
Deutsche Welle has the right to appeal this decision to the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Labor Court. However, any attempt to wrest back retroactively paid pensions is now off the table, thanks to that ten-year guarantee they dished out back in March 2019.
- Pension
- Deutsche Welle
In fact, there's not much in the search results regarding this specific court ruling on Deutsche Welle's pension obligations. Most of the search results cover totally unrelated topics like changes in retirement ages across Europe, German immigration policies, and climate change lawsuits. If you're hunting for info on a different legal case involving Deutsche Welle, chances are it's not included here.
The Commission was also consulted on Deutsche Welle's draft budget for the period 2000-06, which may have included finance for the former program director's pension. Despite Deutsche Welle's disputes over the pension payments, the company's obligations to pay the former program director's pension continue, as ruled by the court in the specific court case.
