The work the employee has to do is determined primarily by the employment contract. The employer can determine the content and scope of the work obligation by virtue of his right to issue instructions within the framework of the respective employment contract (Section 106 GewO).
If the parties to the employment contract agree in writing in the employment contract that the employee is predominantly artistically active, then, according to a decision of the Fourth Senate of January 28, 2009 (4 AZR 987/07), this essentially concerns the determination of the content of the employment relationship, in particular the scope and the Limits of the employer’s right to direct.
The predominantly artistic activity is the content of the agreed declarations of intent by the employment contract parties. This means that the employment relationship is subject to the collective bargaining agreement Normal Contract Stage (NV Bühne), which was created specifically for the artistic sector. The individual contractual reference in the employment contract of a stage technician iSv. § 1 NV Bühne, with which the NV Bühne is referred to, and a separate express and written agreement on the primacy of the stage arbitration tribunal lead to the inadmissibility of an action brought directly with the labor court.
Even if the contracting parties are members of the collective bargaining parties of the TVöD, stage technicians who are predominantly active in the arts are not subject to the personal scope of the TVöD. This contains an exception for theater staff who are predominantly involved in artistic work. When determining the scope of the TVöD, the content of the activity agreed in the employment contract is also important.