Federal Constitutional Court - Minimum wage for work in Yoga-Ashram? Karlsruhe decides
In dispute over the payment of the statutory Minimum Wage for work in a Yoga-Ashram, the Federal Constitutional Court is expected to make a decision known today. A Yoga and Meditation center had lodged constitutional complaints against two judgments of the Federal Labor Court. The Erfurt Court had decided in 2023, among other things, that a former priestess from a charitable association was entitled to the minimum wage instead of pocket money.
The successful plaintiff - a lawyer and ordained priestess with the ability to perform certain rituals - was a member of Yoga Vidya e.V. from 2012 to 2020 and was active there as a "Sevaka" (Servant) in seminar planning and online marketing. The nationwide acting association with its headquarters in North Rhine-Westphalia is said to be Europe's largest training and further education center for Yoga teachers. It considers itself a spiritual-religious community.
The labor court ruled that the plaintiff had rendered services not as a member of the association or a religious community, but as an employee. Therefore, she was entitled to the minimum wage (Az. 9 AZR 253/22). A similar judgment was lodged by a second Ashram member.
Against the judgments, Yoga Vidya now goes to the highest German court. "We see our right to free religious exercise violated," said a spokesperson. The service in the Ashram is an essential part of our faith and should not be evaluated as work. "We hope that the Karlsruhe judges and judges will treat us as a religious community and value our activities in the Ashram as religious actions."
- The charitable association Yoga Vidya e.V., based in North Rhine-Westphalia, is a notable association in Germany, known for being Europe's largest training and further education center for Yoga teachers.
- The Federal Labor Court in Germany had previously ruled that a former priestess from Yoga Vidya was entitled to the minimum wage instead of pocket money, due to her work as a "Sevaka" in seminar planning and online marketing.
- Ms. from Yoga Vidya has filed constitutional complaints against these judgments at the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, arguing that their right to free religious exercise is being violated.
- The Federal Constitutional Court in Germany is expected to make a decision today on whether the minimum wage should be paid to Yoga Vidya members who perform services in Ashrams, as they consider these activities to be religious actions rather than work.
- The Federal Labor Court's previous judgments set a precedent for other Ashram members who have filed similar complaints, highlighting the ongoing debate in Germany over the intersection of religion, work, and minimum wage protections.
