More than Merkel's retirement benefits: Ex-RBB director Schlesinger sues for pension

In the summer of 2022, the RBB parted ways without notice from the then director Patricia Schlesinger.

More than Merkel's retirement benefits: Ex-RBB director Schlesinger sues for pension

In the summer of 2022, the RBB parted ways without notice from the then director Patricia Schlesinger. It's about nepotism and waste. Now she is taking legal action to get her company pension. According to a report, the broadcaster would have to dig deep into their pockets if they were to succeed.

After her dismissal without notice, the former director of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), Patricia Schlesinger, goes to court. According to a report by "Business Insider", she is not suing against her dismissal, but wants to enforce her contractually guaranteed pension claims before the Berlin Regional Court.

A spokeswoman for the Berlin court said on request that proceedings were pending. "The plaintiff demands a pension from the defendant, a public broadcaster, on the basis of a terminated employment relationship." The court did not name Schlesinger. A date for an oral hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Schlesinger's media lawyer, Ralf Höcker, confirmed the lawsuit and said: "Even if the fabricated allegations against the client had any justification, it would be completely unreasonable to take away the company pension that she has worked for over 30 years."

According to "Business Insider", the ousted director has a clear idea of ​​what she is entitled to from RBB. Accordingly, she demands a pension of 81 percent of her last base salary, which was around 28,000 euros per month in July 2022. Schlesinger is thus demanding a monthly company pension of 22,700 euros from her former employer. The online medium compares the pensions of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel with it. The taxpayers' association estimates their salary at 15,000 euros per month.

Retirement benefit means that you receive money from your previous employer after the end of your employment relationship until you retire. When asked, the RBB said: "Please understand that we cannot provide any information on ongoing labor law proceedings." At the same time, the ARD broadcaster answered the question of whether the broadcaster was currently paying money to Schlesinger with "no".

The RBB fell into a deep crisis in the summer of 2022. Allegations of nepotism and waste arose. At the center of the scandal are the director Schlesinger, who was fired without notice, and the resigned chief supervisor Wolf-Dieter Wolf. Both rejected the allegations. The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating, the presumption of innocence applies. Extensive savings plans were recently disclosed. The broadcaster wants to cut a total of 100 jobs by the end of 2024. In addition, broadcasts are to be discontinued. The background are planned savings of almost 50 million euros.