Zwickau Food Bank Staff Left Unpaid for Two Months as Insolvency Saga Unfolds
Published on 08/15/2026 at 00:20 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Sixty employees at the Zwickauer Tafel — 40 permanent staff members and 20 social workers — have gone without wages for two months as the charity's financial collapse triggers a complex legal process. The organisation, which provides food assistance to those in need, finally entered formal insolvency proceedings on 27 July 2026, though the journey there was anything but smooth.
The initial insolvency petition, filed on 15 July 2026, was sent to the wrong court, causing weeks of delay. Andreas Schenk has since been appointed as preliminary insolvency administrator, tasked with untangling the charity's finances. The balance sheet currently shows a shortfall of 85,000 euros, and managing director Juraschka has pushed back against allegations that administrative mismanagement contributed to the filing chaos.
When financial trouble hits, employers often overlook their legal duties to staff — and the paperwork that proves they've met them. A free Health & Safety Toolkit gives you ready-to-use risk assessments and checklists so you can stay compliant even in difficult times. Download the free Health & Safety Toolkit
When Employers Can't Pay: The Legal Safety Net
For workers caught in this limbo, the situation raises pressing questions about their legal entitlements. Under German labour and social law, the claim to continued wage payment technically remains valid even when an employer becomes insolvent. But when sickness strikes and the employer cannot or will not pay, the statutory health insurance system can step in under specific conditions.
The Federal Labour Court (BAG) has shaped this area of law through several key rulings. Decisions from 21 March 2012, alongside more recent judgments on 18 September 2024 and 15 January 2025, have clarified how claims transfer when employers refuse to continue paying wages or become unable to do so through insolvency.
How Claims Shift to Health Insurers
Section 115 of Book X of the Social Code (SGB X) forms the backbone of this mechanism. It stipulates that the entitlement to continued wage payment transfers to the health insurer once that insurer has paid sickness benefits to the employee because the employer failed to meet its payment obligations. The employee retains only the right to claim the difference between their actual net earnings and the sickness benefit received.
A concrete example illustrates the arithmetic: with a regular wage claim of 3,200 euros and sickness benefit paid by the insurer amounting to 2,000 euros, the employee retains a residual claim against the employer of 1,200 euros.
While legal protections exist, employers must also ensure their workplace documentation is in order — especially when finances are strained. A free toolkit covering the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 provides nine essential tools, including risk assessments and director liability guides, to help you meet your obligations. Get the free Health & Safety at Work Act Toolkit
What Happens Next for Tafel Workers
That residual amount must now be registered in the insolvency table or secured through insolvency benefit payments — a process that applies directly to the current situation at the Zwickauer Tafel. For the affected employees, verifying these claims has become one of the most urgent tasks facing the preliminary administrator.
The two-month wage backlog leaves staff in a precarious position, with no clear timeline for when payments might resume. The formal confirmation of the insolvency proceedings at the end of July at least opens the door to structured resolution, though the road to financial recovery for the charity — and compensation for its workers — remains uncertain.
