It noted that around 435,000 nursery places had been created in the last decade for under-threes.
Berlin:
Parents who are unable to return to work because they failed to obtain a nursery place for their child should be compensated for any resulting loss in wages, Germany's highest court ruled Thursday.
Under a slew of child-friendly policies aimed at pushing up Germany's low birth rate, parents were promised a nursery place for every child from age one from August 2013.
But three mothers from the eastern city of Leipzig took local authorities to court because they were unable to find child-care for their toddlers.
The mothers say that they have lost a combined total of 15,100 euros ($16,400) in wages because of the shortfall in nursery places.
A state court had earlier rejected their case, but the constitutional court has now overturned that ruling.
Thursday's decision said that local authorities will only be off the hook if they can prove that the child-care shortage had arisen despite careful planning on their part.
Financial constraints is not a valid reason, said the court, because under the law, a city is "has the responsibility to provide for a sufficient number of care places".
Although the ruling paves the way for more potential lawsuits, the Federation of German Cities and Towns -- an official body representing local governments, believed that it would be unlikely.
It noted that around 435,000 nursery places had been created in the last decade for under-threes, bringing the total to 720,000.
Nevertheless, with the arrival of around 900,000 asylum seekers to Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is under pressure to open up more child-care spots.
The country is also seeing more newborns, according to official data.
Over the last 35 years, Germany had recorded a steady fall in birth rate, which reached a low of 1.49 child for each woman born in the year 1968, said the Federal Institute for Population Research.
But women born in the subsequent years are having more children, bringing the birth rate to 1.56 for mothers born in 1973.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Under a slew of child-friendly policies aimed at pushing up Germany's low birth rate, parents were promised a nursery place for every child from age one from August 2013.
But three mothers from the eastern city of Leipzig took local authorities to court because they were unable to find child-care for their toddlers.
The mothers say that they have lost a combined total of 15,100 euros ($16,400) in wages because of the shortfall in nursery places.
A state court had earlier rejected their case, but the constitutional court has now overturned that ruling.
Thursday's decision said that local authorities will only be off the hook if they can prove that the child-care shortage had arisen despite careful planning on their part.
Financial constraints is not a valid reason, said the court, because under the law, a city is "has the responsibility to provide for a sufficient number of care places".
Although the ruling paves the way for more potential lawsuits, the Federation of German Cities and Towns -- an official body representing local governments, believed that it would be unlikely.
It noted that around 435,000 nursery places had been created in the last decade for under-threes, bringing the total to 720,000.
Nevertheless, with the arrival of around 900,000 asylum seekers to Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is under pressure to open up more child-care spots.
The country is also seeing more newborns, according to official data.
Over the last 35 years, Germany had recorded a steady fall in birth rate, which reached a low of 1.49 child for each woman born in the year 1968, said the Federal Institute for Population Research.
But women born in the subsequent years are having more children, bringing the birth rate to 1.56 for mothers born in 1973.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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