Germany’s Constitutional Court Upholds Ban on Subcontracted Work in Core Meat Processing

Overview

• Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court, in a decision published Wednesday, upheld the ban on contract work via subcontractors in core meat‑processing tasks.
• The judges called the restriction a moderate intrusion that is justified by high‑ranking labor and health protections, citing high accident rates linked to unclear chains of responsibility.
• The court dismissed a challenge to the 2024 ban on temporary agency work for lack of standing, so it did not examine that newer ban on the merits.
• The rules, first applied in 2021 after major COVID‑19 outbreaks and tightened in 2024, bar slaughterhouses from using outside firms or temp staff for slaughtering, cutting and processing.
• The food workers’ union NGG said many former contract laborers have been hired directly, which boosts their bargaining power and helps authorities carry out workplace checks.