Labor law is classically divided into individual labor law and collective labor law.

Individual labor law describes the legal relationship between the individual employer and the individual employee.

At MHH, as an institution of the state of Lower Saxony, the provisions of the relevant collective agreement, the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the States (TV-L), generally apply. Civil servants employed at MHH, who are not employees in the legal sense but have a special legal relationship with the State of Lower Saxony, are subject to the special regulations of civil service law.

Collective labor law covers legal issues that affect the employees as a group (collective). The trade unions and employers' associations face each other in negotiations on collective agreements. At company level, these are usually the works council and the company management. In the public sector, the role of the works council is performed in a comparable form by the Staff Council in accordance with the provisions of the state staff representation law.

The first point of contact for employees for general employment law issues affecting them is MHH's Human Resources Management as the responsible and specialized department. The Legal Administrative Unit supports Human Resources Management in special issues and individual cases as required.