Smartphone banking: dispute over employee participation in N26

The Smartphone Bank N26 has grown rapidly in recent years. Only founded in 2013, the company currently employs more than 1500 employees around the world for the

Smartphone banking: dispute over employee participation in N26

The Smartphone Bank N26 has grown rapidly in recent years. Only founded in 2013, the company currently employs more than 1500 employees around the world for the Berlin-based Fintech. It comes in a company of this size to disputes between the employees and the management is quasi-programmed. As in the spring due to the Corona-pandemic for some employees short-time work was requested, there was no employee representation, which would be able to join in the conversation, is it. Even otherwise, the criticism becomes, for example, to fixed-term contracts, lack of transparency in the content, or a high working pressure.

Franz Nestler

editor in the economy.

F. A. Z.

The have taken some of the staff from N26 to the occasion, a works Council reasons to want to. And here, it crunches between the Management and the employees of enormous, such as the Online Portal "Finance Forward" reports. In a letter to employees before the media, said: "the trust and confidence in the Management of N26 that it ensures the well-being of the entire workforce, is at a historic low." That's why this Thursday and Friday should be determined by the election Board, to organize a works Council election.

Management obtained an interim injunction

However, the Management has obtained before the Berlin labour court for an injunction against the initiators. Officially, it went down, according to a spokesman from N26 to the lack of the concept of Hygiene, which was immediately drawn by the employees in doubt.The Management had already known from the Meeting, however, never expressed its concerns to the injunction. To go to this out of the way, organized the trade Union Verdi, the Assembly, what was not legal. In Berlin's hofbräuhaus in the Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse, close to Alexanderplatz, met the staff then. Of the approximately 400 employees of the N26 Operations GmbH 50 appeared just chose according to the "Finance Forward", an election Committee.

Even if it denies N26, the founder, Valentin Stalf and Maximilian should be Tayenthal very unhappy with the establishment of the works Council. It was said in an internal e-Mail, that such a body "would be against almost all of the values we believe in at N26",. On the question of what values are, would not comment of the speaker. You wanted to avoid that foreign employees may have other rights as a German, as the speaker. We have also explicitly not against a works Council Foundation, and does not want to hinder you, he said.

that's not enough, the N26, the founder held a short Meeting at 13 o'clock on Thursday – the exact time to start of the event at the Hofbräu should. It should go to an alternative employee representation, it said. On the question of how this fits in in order that you do not want to hinder a works Council Foundation, said the press speaker up to the editorial deadline, however.

Date Of Update: 13 August 2020, 14:19