Fixed-term contracts are very common. They are supposed to allow the flexible placement of employees. However, the use of fixed-terms contracts can lead to several problems and often legal provisions are not being observed.

For an employee, it can be a huge burden, when one fixed-term contract leads to another and a solid planning of the future is not possible. The same applies, when a fixed-term contract is not being prolonged.

For an employer, it can lead to a costly court proceeding when a fixed-term contract is not set up properly and the employee claims constant employment or a compensation payment.
The law concerning fixed term contracts contains concrete regulations on when and how long fixed-term contracts can be applied. Not observing the legal provisions can lead to the fixed-term agreement being invalid and turning it into a permanent contract. Even if the employee does not want to remain in the company, an invalid fixed-term agreements can be grounds for claiming a compensation.

To make those claims, an action against the fixed term agreement has to be brought to the labour court within three weeks after the contract has ended, in some cases even earlier.
Contact us. We can check, whether the fixed-term agreement of your contract is binding and show you, what option you have to achieve a permanent contract or a compensation payment.