Complaint & Appeal: templates and forms

For a consumer in Spain whose contract a company is not honouring (a service badly done, a wrongful charge, a refund that never comes) and who wants to demand it before going to court. The letter describes the breach, requires the company to perform and, in the same letter, invites it to negotiate for thirty days: the prior attempt to negotiate that Spanish Organic Law 1/2025 has required since 3 April 2025 before a claim can be filed. Send it by burofax with certified content, which proves what was sent and when. In Spanish.

The claim by which an employee in Romania asks the tribunal to annul a dismissal decision. It is filed within 45 calendar days of learning of the dismissal or, where the dismissal is a disciplinary sanction, within 30 days of the decision being communicated (art. 268 of the Romanian Labour Code), at the tribunal for the employee's home, residence or workplace, with no court fee (art. 270). It asks for the decision to be annulled, for compensation and, if chosen, for reinstatement; the employer bears the burden of proof.

A letter from an employee in mainland France or an overseas department other than Mayotte to a current or former employer, claiming unpaid wages, bonuses or overtime: it sets out the amounts month by month, refers to the overtime premium (articles L. 3121-28 and L. 3121-36 of the Labour Code) and gives a payment deadline before the employment tribunal (conseil de prud'hommes) is seised. Pay claims become time-barred after three years (article L. 3245-1). Send it by registered post with proof of receipt. In French.

The claim with which an employee in Austria challenges the employer's notice of dismissal at the Labour and Social Court (Arbeits- und Sozialgericht) — as socially unjustified or for a forbidden motive (§ 105(3) of the Labour Constitution Act, ArbVG), in workplaces with at least five permanent employees. The deadline is short: two weeks from receipt of the notice where there is no works council (§ 107 ArbVG) or the works council did not object; if it objected, first ask it to challenge (§ 105(4) ArbVG). The Arbeiterkammer advises and represents its members free of charge. You can file it yourself at first instance. In German, to print, sign and file in two copies.

An employee's claim to the Polish labour court against a notice terminating an employment contract or its termination without notice: asking for the notice to be declared ineffective, for reinstatement or for compensation, with the reason the employer gave and why it is wrong, and, if the deadline was missed through no fault of the employee, a request to restore it. The deadline is 21 days from delivery of the employer's letter (art. 264 of the Polish Labour Code). The employee files it alone and pays no court fee, at the district court's labour division, in person or by registered post, with a copy for the employer.

For an employee in Bulgaria who considers their dismissal unlawful. The claim asks the district court to declare the dismissal unlawful and set it aside and, if you choose, to reinstate you in your previous job and award compensation for the time without work, up to six months' gross pay (Art. 344(1) and Art. 225(1) of the Bulgarian Labour Code). It must be filed within two months of the end of the employment (Art. 358). The employee pays no court fee and may file it without a lawyer. In Bulgarian.

The claim an employee in Germany files against the employer's notice of dismissal (Kündigungsschutzklage). Anyone who considers a dismissal invalid must sue at the labour court (Arbeitsgericht) within three weeks of receiving it (§ 4 of the Dismissal Protection Act, KSchG), or it is treated as valid (§ 7 KSchG). Every labour court's Rechtsantragstelle also records claims free of charge. The claim sets out the parties, the application, the dismissal, the size of the business, the works council and the grounds; at first instance you may conduct the case yourself (§ 11 ArbGG). In German, to print, sign and file with one copy — e-mail is not enough.

An employee's written reply to an employer's formal warning (Abmahnung) in Germany, to be added to the personnel file under § 83(2) of the German Works Constitution Act (BetrVG). It names the allegation, sets out the facts as the employee sees them, lists witnesses and asks either for the unjustified warning to be removed from the file or for the reply to be filed with it. There is no deadline and no duty to reply, but what is written can be used later. In German, to print, sign and hand over against a receipt.

An order imposing a disciplinary penalty is challenged in writing and quickly — the time limit runs from its service, so the first thing to note down is the date you received it. The objection says specifically which of the alleged breaches you dispute and why: you were not heard, the act was not committed, the penalty does not match the gravity. Keep a copy with a reference number.

For an employee in Cyprus who considers the dismissal unjustified: a written challenge to the termination, a request that the employer state in writing the reasons and the facts behind them, and a request to pay what is owed. The employer bears the burden of proving a lawful reason (sections 5 and 6 of the Termination of Employment Law). The next step is an application to the Labour Disputes Court, on its own prescribed form, within twelve months of the termination. Send it by registered post or by hand against a signature.