Validity of appellate reversal and cost allocation in employment dispute under German Labour Court Procedure Act

The Federal Labour Court (BAG) dismissed the defendant's revision, overturning the lower appellate court's decision and thereby upholding the first-instance judgment that granted the claimant's relief, with the claimant awarded full costs for the appellate and revision proceedings. The dispute concerned a labour law claim where the claimant successfully established a right in the initial instance, which was incorrectly overturned by the Saxon Regional Labour Court. The decisive legal basis rested on the application of German labour law doctrines regarding the substantive rights claimed, where the BAG found no grounds for the defendant's revisionary attack, confirming the validity of the original lower court's assessment of the employment relationship and the associated statutory obligations.