A civil servant in Germany is legally obliged to work, without remuneration, beyond normal hours if the job requires it. Extra pay is only given for such work once the extra hours amount to 5 more than normal working hours.
Ms Voß worked part-time as a teacher. Extra hours she worked above her contracted hours did not bring her above the normal hours of a full time worker but she received less overtime pay than a fulltime worker. She claimed that she was not receiving equal pay compared to male teachers working the same extra hours.