Request for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Cataluña (Spain) lodged on 24 March 2023 — CL and Others v DB, sole successor to FC, and Fondo de Garantía Salarial (FOGASA)

(Case C-196/23)

(2023/C 304/03)

Language of the case: Spanish

Referring court

Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Cataluña

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: CL and Others

Defendant: DB, sole successor to FC, and Fondo de Garantía Salarial (FOGASA)

Questions referred

Is legislation such as the Spanish legislation (1) (Article 49(1)(e) of Real Decreto Legislativo 2/2015 por el que se aprueba el texto refundido de la Ley del Estatuto de los Trabajadores (Royal Legislative Decree 2/2015 approving the consolidated text of the Law on the Workers’ Statute) of 23 October 2015), which does not establish a period of consultation in situations where contracts of employment in excess of the number laid down in Article 1 of that directive are terminated as a result of the retirement of the natural person employer, compatible with Article 2 of Council Directive 98/59/EC of 20 July 1998 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to collective redundancies?

2.	If the answer to the preceding question is in the negative, does Directive 98/59 have direct horizontal effect between individuals?

(1) OJ 1998 L 225. p. 16.