Question juridique clé
Whether Art. 8(1) BV requires retroactive salary equalization for the appellants back to 1996 or their hiring dates.
Solution extraite
The general equality guarantee does not create a direct federal right to retroactive equal pay in this non-sex-discrimination case; correction may be limited to the date the claim was asserted.
Motifs extraits
The court distinguished equal pay claims based on sex from ordinary equality claims. For the latter, authorities retain a wide margin of appreciation and may remedy an unequal salary situation from the moment the affected employee raises the claim, provided the solution is objectively defensible.