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PARALLEL TEXTS
Una malattia curabile o incurabile che comporti una limitazione fisica, mentale o psichica può essere assimilata a un handicap
Inglese tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-42_en.htm
Italiano tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-42_it.htm
Data documento: 11-04-2013
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A curable or incurable illness entailing a physical, mental or psychological limitation may be assimilated to a disability
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Una malattia curabile o incurabile che comporti una limitazione fisica, mentale o psichica può essere assimilata a un handicap
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A reduction in working hours may be regarded as an accommodation measure which the employer must take in order to enable a person with a disability to work
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La riduzione dell’orario di lavoro può essere considerata come una misura di adattamento che il datore di lavoro deve adottare per consentire a una persona disabile di lavorare
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The directive on equal treatment in employment and occupation creates a general framework for combating, in particular, discrimination on grounds of disability.
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La direttiva sulla parità di trattamento in materia di occupazione e di lavoro stabilisce un quadro generale per la lotta alle discriminazioni fondate sull’handicap.
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The directive was transposed by the Danish legislation on the prohibition of discrimination in the labour market.
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Tale direttiva è stata trasposta dalla normativa danese relativa al principio di non discriminazione nel mercato del lavoro.
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In addition, Danish employment law provides that an employer may terminate the employment contract with a ‘shortened period of notice’ of one month if the employee concerned has been absent because of illness, with his salary being paid, for 120 days during the previous 12 months.
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Inoltre, il diritto del lavoro danese prevede che il datore di lavoro possa porre fine al contratto di lavoro con un «preavviso ridotto» di un mese qualora il lavoratore sia stato assente per malattia, con mantenimento della retribuzione, per 120 giorni nel corso degli ultimi dodici mesi.
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In the present cases, HK Danmark, a Danish trade union, brought two actions for compensation on behalf of Ms Ring and Ms Skouboe Werge, because of their dismissal with a shortened notice period.
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Nella specie, l’HK Danmark, un sindacato di lavoratori danese, ha introdotto due domande di risarcimento danni in nome delle sig.re Ring e Skouboe Werge, in ragione del loro licenziamento con preavviso ridotto.
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HK Danmark claims that because those two employees were suffering from a disability, their respective employers were required to offer them a reduction in working hours.
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L’HK Danmark sostiene che, essendo le due lavoratrici affette da un handicap, i rispettivi datori di lavoro erano tenuti a proporre loro una riduzione dell’orario di lavoro.
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The trade union also argues that the national legislation on the shortened notice period cannot apply to those two workers, since their absences because of illness were caused by their disability.
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Detto sindacato afferma altresì che la disposizione nazionale relativa al preavviso ridotto non può trovare applicazione nei confronti di tali due lavoratrici, in quanto le loro assenze per malattia sono conseguenti al loro handicap.
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The Sø- og Handelsret (Maritime and Commercial Court, Denmark), which is hearing the two cases, asks the Court of Justice to clarify the concept of disability.
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Il Sø- og Handelsretten (Corte marittima e commerciale, Danimarca), investita di queste due cause, chiede alla Corte di giustizia di precisare la nozione di handicap.
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The questions also arise whether a reduction in working hours may be regarded as a reasonable accommodation measure, and whether the Danish legislation on the shortened notice period for dismissal is contrary to EU law.
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Si tratta parimenti di chiarire se la riduzione dell’orario di lavoro possa essere considerata quale misura di adattamento ragionevole e se la legge danese relativa al preavviso ridotto di licenziamento sia in contrasto con il diritto dell'Unione.
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As disability is not defined in the directive, the Court gave a definition of that concept in its judgment in Chacón Navas.It held that the concept is distinct from illness and must be understood as referring to a long-term limitation which results in particular from physical, mental or psychological impairments and hinders the participation of the person concerned in professional life.
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Dato che l’handicap non è stato definito dalla direttiva, la Corte ne ha dato una definizione nella sentenza Chacón Navas, affermando che tale nozione si distingue dalla malattia e va intesa come una limitazione a lungo termine che deriva, in particolare, da menomazioni fisiche, mentali o psichiche e che ostacola la partecipazione della persona interessata alla vita professionale.
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After that judgment was delivered, the EU ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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A seguito di tale sentenza, l'Unione ha ratificato la Convenzione delle Nazioni Unite relativa ai diritti delle persone con disabilità.
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It follows that the directive must be interpreted, as far as possible, in a manner consistent with that convention.
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Ne consegue che la direttiva deve essere oggetto, per quanto possibile, di un’interpretazione conforme alla menzionata convenzione.
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By its judgment of today, the Court starts by explaining that the concept of ‘disability’ must be interpreted as including a condition caused by an illness medically diagnosed as curable or incurable, if that illness entails a limitation which results in particular from physical, mental or psychological impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder the full and effective participation of the person concerned in professional life on an equal basis with other workers, and the limitation is a long-term one.
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Con la sentenza emessa in data odierna, la Corte precise anzitutto che la nozione di «handicap» va interpretata nel senso che include uno stato patologico causato da una malattia diagnosticata come curabile o incurabile ove tale malattia comporti una limitazione, risultante in particolare da menomazioni fisiche, mentali o psichiche, che, in interazione con barriere di diversa natura, può ostacolare la piena ed effettiva partecipazione della persona di cui trattasi alla vita professionale su un piano di parità con gli altri lavoratori, e tale limitazione sia di lunga durata.
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The Court observes that, contrary to the arguments of the employers in the two cases, the concept of ‘disability’ does not necessarily imply complete exclusion from work or professional life.
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La Corte rileva che, contrariamente a quanto dedotto dai datori di lavoro nelle due cause in oggetto, la nozione di «handicap» non implica necessariamente l’esclusione totale dal lavoro o dalla vita professionale.
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In addition, a finding that there is a disability does not depend on the nature of the accommodation measures to be taken by the employer, such as the use of special equipment.
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Inoltre, l’accertamento dell’esistenza di un handicap non dipende dalla natura delle misure di adattamento che deve adottare il datore di lavoro, come l’utilizzazione di attrezzature speciali.
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It will be for the national court to assess whether, in the present cases, the workers were persons with a disability.
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Spetta al giudice nazionale valutare se, nella specie, le lavoratrici erano disabili.
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The Court then recalls that the directive requires the employer to take appropriate and reasonable accommodation measures in particular to enable a person with a disability to have access to, participate in, or advance in employment.
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La Corte ricorda quindi che la direttiva impone al datore di lavoro l’adozione di misure di adattamento adeguate e ragionevoli, in particolare, per consentire a una persona disabile di accedere a un impiego, di svolgerlo o di avere una promozione.
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The Court observes that, even if it were not covered by the concept of ‘pattern of working time’ expressly mentioned in the directive, a reduction in working hours may be regarded as an appropriate accommodation measure in a case in which the reduction makes it possible for the worker to continue in his employment.
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La Corte rileva che la riduzione dell’orario di lavoro, anche qualora non ricadesse nel concetto di «ritmi di lavoro», espressamente richiamato dalla direttiva, può essere considerata una misura di adattamento adeguata, ove tale riduzione consenta al lavoratore di poter continuare a svolgere il suo lavoro.
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It is, however, for the national court to assess whether, in the present cases, a reduction in working hours, as an accommodation measure, represents a disproportionate burden on the employers.
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Spetta tuttavia al giudice nazionale valutare se, nella specie, la riduzione dell’orario di lavoro quale misura di adattamento rappresenti un onere sproporzionato per i datori di lavoro.
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The Court then states that the directive precludes national legislation under which an employer can terminate the employment contract with a shortened period of notice if the disabled worker concerned has been absent because of illness, with his salary being paid, for 120 days during the previous 12 months, where those absences are the consequence of the employer’s failure to take appropriate and reasonable accommodation measures in order to enable the disabled person to work.
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La Corte rileva parimenti che la direttiva non ammette una disposizione nazionale che prevede che un datore di lavoro possa porre fine al contratto di lavoro con un preavviso ridotto qualora il lavoratore disabile sia stato assente per malattia, con mantenimento della retribuzione, per 120 giorni nel corso degli ultimi dodici mesi, nel caso in cui tali assenze siano la conseguenza dell’omessa adozione, da parte del datore di lavoro, di misure di adattamento adeguate e ragionevoli, per consentire alla persona disabile di lavorare.
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The Court, finally, rules on whether the national legislation concerning the shortened notice period is liable to produce discrimination against persons with a disability.
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Infine, la Corte si pronuncia sulla questione se la disposizione nazionale relativa al preavviso ridotto possa comportare una discriminazione nei confronti delle persone disabili.
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Direct discrimination occurs where one person is treated less favourably than another, in a comparable situation, on grounds of disability.
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Sussiste discriminazione diretta quando, a causa dell’handicap, una persona è trattata meno favorevolmente di un’altra in una situazione analoga.
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Indirect discrimination occurs where an apparently neutral provision, criterion or practice is liable to put disabled persons at a particular disadvantage compared with other persons, unless this is justifiable.
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Una discriminazione indiretta va riconosciuta quando una disposizione, un criterio o una prassi apparentemente neutri possono mettere le persone disabili in una posizione di particolare svantaggio rispetto ad altre persone, a meno che vi possa essere una giustificazione.
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The Court notes that the national legislation applies in the same way to disabled and non-disabled persons who have been absent for more than 120 days because of illness.
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La Corte rileva che la disposizione nazionale si applica in modo identico alle persone disabili ed alle persone non disabili che siano state assenti per malattia per oltre 120 giorni.
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That legislation cannot therefore be regarded as establishing a difference of treatment based directly on disability.
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Non può pertanto ritenersi che tale disposizione instauri una disparità di trattamento basata direttamente sull’handicap.
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But the Court finds that a worker with a disability is more exposed to the risk of application of the shortened notice period than a worker without a disability, since he has the additional risk of contracting an illness connected with his disability.
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Ma la Corte osserva che un lavoratore disabile è maggiormente esposto al rischio di subire l’applicazione del periodo di preavviso ridotto rispetto ad un lavoratore non disabile, poiché è esposto al rischio ulteriore di una malattia collegata al suo handicap.
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It is therefore apparent that that legislation is liable to place disabled workers at a disadvantage and so to bring about a difference of treatment indirectly based on disability.
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Risulta pertanto che tale disposizione è idonea a svantaggiare i lavoratori disabili e, dunque, a comportare una disparità di trattamento indirettamente basata sull’handicap.
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The Court answers that the directive precludes such national legislation, unless the legislation, as well as pursuing a legitimate aim, does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve that aim, that being for the national court to assess.
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La Corte risponde alla questione dichiarando che la direttiva non ammette una siffatta disposizione nazionale, salvo nel caso in cui essa, da un lato, persegua un obiettivo legittimo e, dall’altro, non vada al di là di quanto è necessario per conseguire tale obiettivo, circostanza che spetta al giudice nazionale valutare.
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In this respect, having regard to the discretion enjoyed by the Member States in social and employment policy, it is for the national court to examine whether the Danish legislature, in pursuing the legitimate aims of, first, promoting the recruitment of persons with illnesses and, secondly, striking a reasonable balance between the opposing interests of employees and employers with respect to absences because of illness, omitted to take account of relevant factors relating in particular to workers with disabilities.
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Al riguardo, in considerazione del margine di discrezionalità riconosciuto agli Stati membri in materia di politica sociale e del lavoro, spetta al giudice nazionale verificare se il legislatore danese, perseguendo le legittime finalità della promozione dell’assunzione delle persone malate, da un lato, e di un ragionevole equilibrio tra gli opposti interessi del lavoratore e del datore di lavoro per quanto riguarda le assenze per malattia, dall’altro, abbia omesso di tener conto degli elementi pertinenti che riguardano, in particolare, i lavoratori disabili.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law or the validity of a European Union act.
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Il rinvio pregiudiziale consente ai giudici degli Stati membri, nell'ambito di una controversia della quale sono investiti, di interpellare la Corte in merito all’interpretazione del diritto dell’Unione o alla validità di un atto dell’Unione.
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The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
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La Corte non risolve la controversia nazionale.
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It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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Spetta al giudice nazionale risolvere la causa conformemente alla decisione della Corte. Tale decisione vincola egualmente gli altri giudici nazionali ai quali venga sottoposto un problema simile.
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LISTEN WITH READSPEAKER
A curable or incurable illness entailing a physical, mental
or psychological limitation may be assimilated to a disability
A reduction in working hours may be regarded as an
accommodation measure which the employer must take in order to enable a person
with a disability to work
The directive on equal treatment in employment and occupation
creates a general framework for combating, in particular, discrimination on
grounds of disability.
The directive was transposed by the Danish legislation on the
prohibition of discrimination in the labour market.
In addition, Danish employment law provides that an employer
may terminate the employment contract with a ‘shortened period of notice’ of one
month if the employee concerned has been absent because of illness, with his
salary being paid, for 120 days during the previous 12 months.
In the present cases, HK Danmark, a Danish trade union,
brought two actions for compensation on behalf of Ms Ring and Ms Skouboe Werge,
because of their dismissal with a shortened notice period.
HK Danmark claims that because those two employees were suffering from a
disability, their respective employers were required to offer them a reduction
in working hours.
The trade union also argues that the national legislation on
the shortened notice period cannot apply to those two workers, since their
absences because of illness were caused by their disability.
The Sø- og Handelsret (Maritime and Commercial Court,
Denmark), which is hearing the two cases, asks the Court of Justice to clarify
the concept of disability.
The questions also arise whether a reduction in working hours
may be regarded as a reasonable accommodation measure, and whether the Danish
legislation on the shortened notice period for dismissal is contrary to EU law.
As disability is not defined in the directive, the Court gave
a definition of that concept in its judgment in Chacón Navas.It held that the
concept is distinct from illness and must be understood as referring to a
long-term limitation which results in particular from physical, mental or
psychological impairments and hinders the participation of the person concerned
in professional life.
After that judgment was delivered, the EU ratified the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
It follows that the directive must be interpreted, as far as
possible, in a manner consistent with that convention.
By its judgment of today, the Court starts by explaining that
the concept of ‘disability’ must be interpreted as including a condition caused
by an illness medically diagnosed as curable or incurable, if that illness
entails a limitation which results in particular from physical, mental or
psychological impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder
the full and effective participation of the person concerned in professional
life on an equal basis with other workers, and the limitation is a long-term
one.
The Court observes that, contrary to the arguments of the
employers in the two cases, the concept of ‘disability’ does not necessarily
imply complete exclusion from work or professional life.
In addition, a finding that there is a disability does not
depend on the nature of the accommodation measures to be taken by the employer,
such as the use of special equipment.
It will be for the national court to assess whether, in the
present cases, the workers were persons with a disability.
The Court then recalls that the directive requires the
employer to take appropriate and reasonable accommodation measures in particular
to enable a person with a disability to have access to, participate in, or
advance in employment.
The Court observes that, even if it were not covered by the
concept of ‘pattern of working time’ expressly mentioned in the directive, a
reduction in working hours may be regarded as an appropriate accommodation
measure in a case in which the reduction makes it possible for the worker to
continue in his employment.
It is, however, for the national court to assess whether, in
the present cases, a reduction in working hours, as an accommodation measure,
represents a disproportionate burden on the employers.
The Court then states that the directive precludes national
legislation under which an employer can terminate the employment contract with a
shortened period of notice if the disabled worker concerned has been absent
because of illness, with his salary being paid, for 120 days during the previous
12 months, where those absences are the consequence of the employer’s failure to
take appropriate and reasonable accommodation measures in order to enable the
disabled person to work.
The Court, finally, rules on whether the national legislation
concerning the shortened notice period is liable to produce discrimination
against persons with a disability.
Direct discrimination occurs where one person is treated less
favourably than another, in a comparable situation, on grounds of disability.
Indirect discrimination occurs where an apparently neutral
provision, criterion or practice is liable to put disabled persons at a
particular disadvantage compared with other persons, unless this is justifiable.
The Court notes that the national legislation applies in the
same way to disabled and non-disabled persons who have been absent for more than
120 days because of illness.
That legislation cannot therefore be regarded as establishing a difference of
treatment based directly on disability.
But the Court finds that a worker with a disability is more
exposed to the risk of application of the shortened notice period than a worker
without a disability, since he has the additional risk of contracting an illness
connected with his disability.
It is therefore apparent that that legislation is liable to
place disabled workers at a disadvantage and so to bring about a difference of
treatment indirectly based on disability.
The Court answers that the directive precludes such national
legislation, unless the legislation, as well as pursuing a legitimate aim, does
not go beyond what is necessary to achieve that aim, that being for the national
court to assess.
In this respect, having regard to the discretion enjoyed by
the Member States in social and employment policy, it is for the national court
to examine whether the Danish legislature, in pursuing the legitimate aims of,
first, promoting the recruitment of persons with illnesses and, secondly,
striking a reasonable balance between the opposing interests of employees and
employers with respect to absences because of illness, omitted to take account
of relevant factors relating in particular to workers with disabilities.
NOTE:
A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and
tribunals of the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them,
to refer questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European
Union law or the validity of a European Union act.
The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the
case in accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on
other national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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