Employer loan repayment barred by collective agreement exclusion period

The Federal Labor Court (BAG) rejected the employee’s revision appeal, upholding the decision of the Hessian Regional Labor Court and ordering the employee to bear the costs of the appellate proceedings. The dispute concerned a claim for repayment of a loan provided by the employer to the employee, specifically focusing on whether the statutory or collective agreement exclusion period (Ausschlussfrist) barred the employee’s request. The court determined that the applicable collective agreement provision established a valid exclusion period that rendered the employee’s claim time-barred, thereby denying the relief sought. The decisive legal basis involved the interpretation and application of contractual and collective agreement terms regarding limitation periods for claims arising from employment-related loans, prioritizing the collective agreement’s specific exclusion rules over general statutory provisions.