The dismissal of the former vice-director of the Stasi victims memorial in Berlin is legally correct after a judgment of the local labor court. The court stated on Wednesday that the former deputy chief Helmuth Frauendorfer did not behave properly with employees in many situations because he held business talks in a private setting.
Altogether, there were about a dozen "inadequate" situations with women, in which there was a clear mismatch between the private atmosphere and the power gap, the judge said. The women would have had difficulty breaking off these conversations and could hardly escape the situations. That was the fault of the supervisor and sufficient for a termination.
The memorial foundation had terminated Frauendorfer 2018 because of sexism allegations. By contrast, the now 60-year-old had complained. However, the Labor Court expressly did not rule on allegations of sexual harassment made by several women. "This reason for termination has nothing to do with sexual harassment," said the judge. The decision can be appealed to the State Labor Court.
In connection with the dismissal of his deputy, the former director of the memorial, Hubertus Knabe, was recalled. Knabe, on the other hand, filed unfair dismissal action; in December 2018 he agreed with the foundation of the memorial on a settlement. New director in Hohenschönhausen is Helge Heidmeyer. He welcomed the verdict: "I am glad that the commitment of the young women has paid off", Berlin newspapers quote Knabe's successor. For the memorial it is important that the focus is now back to work.