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Document 62016CA0270

Case C-270/16: Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 18 January 2018 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Juzgado de lo Social No 1 de Cuenca — Spain) — Carlos Enrique Ruiz Conejero v Ferroser Servicios Auxiliares SA, Ministerio Fiscal (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Social policy — Directive 2000/78/EC — Equal treatment in employment and occupation — Article 2(2)(b)(i) — Prohibition of discrimination based on disability — National legislation permitting, subject to certain conditions, the dismissal of an employee by reason of intermittent absences, even where justified — Worker’s absences resulting from illnesses linked to his disability — Difference in treatment based on disability — Indirect discrimination — Whether justified — Combating absenteeism in the workplace — Whether appropriate — Whether proportionate)

IO C 83, 5.3.2018, p. 3–3 (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

5.3.2018   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 83/3


Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 18 January 2018 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Juzgado de lo Social No 1 de Cuenca — Spain) — Carlos Enrique Ruiz Conejero v Ferroser Servicios Auxiliares SA, Ministerio Fiscal

(Case C-270/16) (1)

((Reference for a preliminary ruling - Social policy - Directive 2000/78/EC - Equal treatment in employment and occupation - Article 2(2)(b)(i) - Prohibition of discrimination based on disability - National legislation permitting, subject to certain conditions, the dismissal of an employee by reason of intermittent absences, even where justified - Worker’s absences resulting from illnesses linked to his disability - Difference in treatment based on disability - Indirect discrimination - Whether justified - Combating absenteeism in the workplace - Whether appropriate - Whether proportionate))

(2018/C 083/03)

Language of the case: Spanish

Referring court

Juzgado de lo Social No 1 de Cuenca

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Carlos Enrique Ruiz Conejero

Defendant: Ferroser Servicios Auxiliares SA, Ministerio Fiscal

Operative part of the judgment

Article 2(2)(b)(i) of Council Directive 2008/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation must be interpreted as precluding national legislation under which an employer may dismiss a worker on the grounds of his intermittent absences from work, even if justified, in a situation where those absences are the consequence of sickness attributable to a disability suffered by that worker, unless that legislation, while pursuing the legitimate aim of combating absenteeism, does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that aim, which is a matter for the referring court to assess.


(1)  OJ C 279, 1.8.2016.


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