Yoga-Association must pay minimum wage
A Yoga Association Offers Courses and Further Education Nationwide. It Sees Itself as a Religious Community and Therefore Does Not Want to Pay the Minimum Wage. The Religious Question Remains Unclear, but the Constitutional Court Makes a Clear Assessment in Terms of Payments.
Employees of spiritual Yoga centers also have a claim to the minimum wage. The Constitutional Court did not take up the complaints of the ashram operator, who opposed the minimum wage claim, as the court announced.
Two female employees of the Yoga-Vidya Community announced the termination of their employment contracts after eight years and demanded the payment of the statutory minimum wage in retrospect. According to their statements, they had lived and worked in the institution from 2012 to 2020, working 42 hours a week.
They received a net salary of around 390 Euro per month after deducting social insurance contributions. According to the contract, additional employment was prohibited. In the centers, there are cost-bearing seminars for external guests. The nationwide acting association with its headquarters in Horn-Bad Meinberg in North Rhine-Westphalia considers itself a spiritual-religious community.
Yoga as a Religion?
The Federal Labor Court granted the former employees the minimum wage in the previous year. Against this, the operator filed a constitutional complaint. A Chamber of the First Senate did not take it up for decision. In the judgment, it is stated that it is not apparent that the activities of the employees were "religiously motivated in themselves". They had rather taken care of the maintenance of the lodging and seminar business of the association and for the distribution of Yoga products. One of the plaintiffs was active as a "Sevaka" (Servant) in seminar planning and online marketing.
The Federal Labor Court had argued that the registered non-profit organization did not have the status of a religious or ideological community. However, this question can remain open in the opinion of the constitutional judges. It comes down to the labor law assessment of the services rendered.
Therefore, the two women, a lawyer and an art historian, finally receive the back payments, which were granted to them a few months ago by the Labor Court of Hamm. The amount is relatively small because claims for minimum wage expire after three years. In addition, the minimum wage in the relevant period was between 8.84 and 9.35 Euro.
The debate around whether Yoga can be considered a religion, particularly for labor law purposes, continues internationally. The Federal Constitutional Court in Germany has indicated that it may not be straightforward to classify Yoga as a religious activity, focusing instead on the nature of the services provided.
In light of this, the International Labor Organization should consider including Yoga centers under its minimum wage guidelines, ensuring fair compensation for instructors and workers worldwide.
The Yoga Association, despite classifying itself as a religious community, should reconsider its stance on paying the minimum wage. Adhering to labor law and providing a decent living wage can contribute to the spiritual growth and well-being of its members and employees.
