Home » Membership » Member benefits » Employment relationship hotline and legal aid Employment relationship hotline and legal aid from PAM Do you need help with issues concerning wages, working time, annual leave or redundancy? Are there problems at the workplace that you cannot solve on your own? PAM’s experts are here to help! Last updated: 08.08.2023 The employment relationship hotline is a significant member benefit. PAM offers an employment relationship hotline and legal aid to its members. Always contact the union representative of your workplace in matters related to the employment relationship in the first instance. Member benefits Employment relationship hotline and legal aid Trainings Career services Discounts and other benefits Services for the unemployed If you do not have a union representative at your workplace, you can call the membership services number or send your question to PAM’s e-service. Problems related to the employment relationship are always solved first by negotiating at the workplace. In fact, help can often be found through the employment relationship hotline. What if the problem at the workplace is not solved? If the situation between the worker and the employer cannot be resolved through the advice given to the member, the matter will be forwarded to PAM’s expert. Such situations are most typically ambiguities related to incorrectly paid wages or the termination of employment. First, the member is given advice and support to help them resolve the matter directly with the employer. If the matter cannot be resolved through the worker’s own negotiations results, PAM will contact the employer. Most disagreements are resolved at the latest when they are negotiated with the union’s representative, the worker and the employer. PAM’s employment relationship hotline receives more than 50,000 contacts every year. Fewer than a thousand cases cannot be resolved through negotiations but are recorded as a dispute. Each year, fewer than 100 disputes end up in court. If a case ends up in court, it is possible to get legal aid from PAM. Legal aid in civil cases A PAM member can get legal aid for a civil case related to an employment relationship or terms of employment. A prerequisite for getting legal aid is that PAM’s membership has lasted for six months before the start of the dispute at the workplace. Membership fees must also have been paid for this period. The same conditions apply to members who move from another trade union to PAM. Legal aid is a member benefit that provides security PAM’s legal aid is outstanding: it is more extensive than in many other trade unions. In PAM, there is no deductible for legal costs and no ceiling for costs, for example. The union also bears the cost risk related to legal proceedings, i.e. if the case is lost, PAM is responsible for the other party’s legal costs in addition to other costs. The costs of legal proceedings can easily amount to tens of thousands of euros. When you are a member of PAM, your livelihood is secured against possible problems in the employment relationship. In addition, you can trust that your case will be handled by a lawyer with deep knowledge of the working conditions and disagreements in the private service sector. When can I get legal aid? Legal aid is always discretionary. The decision to grant legal aid is made on legal grounds, i.e. the possibility of success is considered first considered. When making a decision, it is investigated whether the law has been broken, and whether enough evidence can be presented about the matter, for example. In some cases, obtaining a court decision may also be important to resolve a precedent that has broader significance and clarify the interpretation of the law.
