Eligibility for social plan severance entitlements under § 1a SoPlanV

The Federal Labour Court (BAG) dismissed the defendant's revision, thereby upholding the Lower Labour Court's judgment in favor of the claimant and ordering the defendant to bear the litigation costs of the final instance. The dispute concerned a social plan (Sozialplan) entitlement, specifically challenging the claimant's eligibility for severance or related benefits. The decisive legal basis involved the statutory interpretation of § 1a of the Federal Act on Social Plans (Sozialplan- und Entschädigungs-Verordnung, SoPlanV) or related collective agreement provisions, which the court determined defined the scope of entitlements for affected employees, thereby sustaining the lower court's finding that the claimant met the necessary criteria for compensation.