German court upholds Greek teacher's case against pay cut

BERLIN – A German federal court has upheld a complaint by a teacher at a Greek school in Germany against a pay cut that the Greek government imposed at the height of the country's financial crisis.

The teacher, a Greek citizen, works at a Greek government-run school in Nuremberg but his contract is subject to German law. He sued after his pay was cut in 2010. A lower court granted his demand for some 20,000 euros ($21,780) in extra pay for Oct. 2010-Dec. 2012 — the amount by which his salary was lowered.

The Federal Labor Court said Wednesday it has rejected a Greek appeal against that ruling. It ruled that Greek austerity legislation isn't directly applicable on German territory and that Greece doesn't have legal immunity over the labor contract.