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Wal-Mart has lost a court appeal to try to legally ban its employees in Germany from having office romances.

The regional industrial tribunal in Dusseldorf upheld an earlier verdict by the local Wuppertal industrial tribunal that the company's "ethics rules" were in breach of German law.

Wal-mart tried to introduce a 28-page ethical code that forbids "lustful glances and ambiguous jokes" as well as "sexually meaningful communication of any type".

And it said: "You may not go out with or have a relationship with someone who could influence your employment situation or whose employment situation you could influence."

Wal-Mart also required its 10,500 German employees to report violations of the code, including alcohol and drug use, to a telephone hotline - a move also banned by the courts.

According to the tribunal, rules that govern personal relationships, though common in the US, are incompatible with German labour laws and agreement with the regional labour council would be necessary to implement them.

Wal-Mart management defended the disputed passages, saying they were only trying to protect their employees from sexual harassment.

Wal-Mart still has one more chance to appeal the verdict at the Federal Labour Court in Erfurt.

F*** Walmart, these coporate nob heads, think they can control peoples emotions as well as everything else. Good on the Germans to tell em to get stuffed, they've already suffered one Dictator and more, they don't want some American up there own arse prudes, telling em who they can cop off with. Using the sexual harrasment thing, is a lame excuse as well, they just don't want anyone having any fun, that's the problem

love your opening line steve_o

See today Walmart lost the case the Germans said it was a human right to flirt never thought I'd agree with the Germans but there making a dam lot more sense than the Americans at the moment.