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The Potential of EU in the Protection Against Discrimination of Workers in Non-standard Employment

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New Forms of Employment

Abstract

The growing prevalence of different working arrangements, collectively referred to as ‘non-standard’, ‘atypical’ or ‘flexible’, is the undeniable fact in the labor reality. One of the main issues related to atypical work is the need to ensure equal treatment for workers in standard and non-standard employment. As indicated, workers in non-standard employment are more likely to experience direct and indirect discrimination in the access to high-quality jobs as compared to those in regular employment. Given that equality and non-discrimination are deeply rooted in the EU law, this article is an attempt to determine whether the existing EU anti-discrimination law has the potential to protect atypical workers against discrimination in employment, as well as whether there is any need for changes in this regard in light of further development of new atypical working arrangements.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, pp. 47–390.

  2. 2.

    The classification of the act of implementation has been proposed by Mirjam de Mol, The Direct Effect of the Fundamental Rights of EU, available: https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/portal/files/1595350/guid-f509ba39-2ffc-4b9b-a171-5f262f9600e7-ASSET2.0 (01.12.2019).

  3. 3.

    C-144/04 Mangold, EU:C:2005:709, para. 74 to 76; C-555/07 Kűcűkdeveci, EU:C:2010:21, para. 50 to 51.

  4. 4.

    C-144/04 Mangold, C-144/04, para. 77 and the case-law cited; C-555/07 Kűcűkdeveci, para. 45.

  5. 5.

    Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general Framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation, OJ 2000 L 303, p. 16.

  6. 6.

    Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic orgin, OJ 2000 L 180, p. 22.

  7. 7.

    C- 143/16, EU:C:2017:566.

  8. 8.

    C-88/08, EU:C:2009:381.

  9. 9.

    C-438/99, EU:C:2001:509.

  10. 10.

    C-77/02 Steinicke, EU:C:2003:458; C- 116/94 Mayers, EU:C:1995:247; C-322/98 Kochelmann, EU:C:2000:495.

  11. 11.

    Council Directive 97/81/EC of 15 December 1997 concerning the Framework Agreement on Part-time work concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC, OJ L 14, 20.01.1998, pp. 9–14.

  12. 12.

    Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 28 June 1999 concerning the Framework Agreement on Fixed-term work concluded by ETUC, UNICE and CEEP, OJ L 175, 10.07.1999, pp. 43–48.

  13. 13.

    Directive 2008/14/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 19 November 2008 on temporary agency work, OJ L 327, 5.12.2008, pp. 9–14.

  14. 14.

    C-528/13 Léger, ECLI:EU:C:2015:288, para. 41 and the case-law cited; C-195/12 Industrie du bois de Vielsam Cie (IBV) SA, EU:C:2013:598, para. 48.

  15. 15.

    C-152/84 Marshall, EU:C:1986:84, para. 48; C-91/92 Faccini Dori, EU:C:1994:292, para. 20; C-201/02 Wells, EU:C:2004:12, para. 56.

  16. 16.

    C-194/94 CIA Security, EU:C:1995:346; C-443/98 Unilever, EU:C:2000:496.

  17. 17.

    C-41/74 Van Duyn, EU:C:1974:133; Joined Cases C-6/90 and C-9/90 Francovich and Others, EU:C;1991:428, para. 11; C-62/00 Marks & Spencer, EU:C:2002:435, para. 25.

  18. 18.

    Joined Cases C-453/02 and C-462/02 Linneweber and Akritidis, EU:C:2005:92, para. 32 to 38 and Joined Cases C-397/01 to C-403/01 Pfeiffer and Others, EU:C:2004:584, para. 105.

  19. 19.

    C-66/85 Lawrie Blum, EU:C1986:284, para. 16.

  20. 20.

    C-519/09 May, EU:C:2011:221, para. 22.

  21. 21.

    66/85, Lawrie Blum, para. 15, 17.

  22. 22.

    C-53/81, EU:C:1982:105, para. 17.

  23. 23.

    See in particular cases: C-138/02 Collins EU:C:2004:172, para. 26; C-456/02 Trojani EU:C:2004:488, para. 15; C-337/10 Neidel EU:C:2012:263, para. 23; C-432/14 SARL EU:C:2015:643, para. 22.

  24. 24.

    C-413/13 FNV Kunsten, EU:C:2014:2411, para. 35, 36, 38.

  25. 25.

    p. 8.

  26. 26.

    p. 8.

  27. 27.

    C-413/01 Ninni-Orasche, EU:C:2003:600, para. 27.

  28. 28.

    C-357/89, EU:C:1992:87, para. 14.

  29. 29.

    C-316/13 Fenoll, EU:C:2015:200.

  30. 30.

    C-344/87, EU:C:1989:113.

  31. 31.

    C-196/97, EU:C:1988:475.

  32. 32.

    C-294/06 Payir and Others, EU:C:2008:36.

  33. 33.

    According to Clause 2(2) of the Part-Time Work Directive part-time workers who work on a casual basis may be for objective reasons excluded “wholly or partly” from the pers of this Directive.

  34. 34.

    Recital 15 Commission Recommendation 16.04.2017 on the European Pillar of Social Rights, Brussels, 26.4.2017, C(2017) 2600 final.

  35. 35.

    In the context to the access to self-employment, that include the protection against ‘false’ self-employment based on grounds of a specific discriminatory criterion (Article 3(1)(a)).

  36. 36.

    C-313/02, EU:C:2004:607, para. 40.

  37. 37.

    C-393/10, EU:C:2012:110, para. 34, 35, 38, 51. See also judgement of the CJEU in Case C-216/15 Ruhrlandklinik gGmbH, EU:C:2016:883.

  38. 38.

    See Article 157(2) TfEU and Article 2(1)(e) of Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation (recast version), OJ 2006 L 2004, p. 23.

  39. 39.

    Case C-438/99 Melgar, EU:C:2001:509, para. 47.

  40. 40.

    Case C-177/88 Dekker, EU:C:1990:383, para. 12, and Case C-207/98 Mahlburg, EU:C:2000:64, para. 27–30.

  41. 41.

    C-438/99 Melgar, para. 47.

  42. 42.

    Case C-116/94, EU:C:1995:247, para. 22.

  43. 43.

    Para. 24.

  44. 44.

    Case C-313/02 Wippel, EU:C:2004:607, para. 30–31.

  45. 45.

    C-443/16 Rodrigo Sanz, EU:C:2017:109, para. 33.

  46. 46.

    Case C-77/02 Steinicke, Case C-187/00 Kutz-Bauer, EU:C:2003:168; C-443/16 Rodrigo Sanz, para. 33.

  47. 47.

    Case C-177/14 Dans, EU:C:2015:454, para. 43, Case C-444/09 Gavieiro, EU:C:2010:819, para. 50.

  48. 48.

    C-38/13 Nierodzik, EU:C:2014:152, para. 21.

  49. 49.

    C-96/17 Ayovi, EU:C:2018:603, para. 30–31.

  50. 50.

    C-361/12 Carratú, EU:C:2013:830, para. 37.

  51. 51.

    C-596/14 Porras, EU:C:2016:683., para. 31, C-677/16 Mateos, EU:C:2018:393, para. 47.

  52. 52.

    Case C-38/13 Nierodzik, para. 28. Working time and organisation of working time and Directive 99/70 in C-313/02 Wippel, para. 32.

  53. 53.

    See C-307/05 Del Cerro Alonso, EU:C:207:509, para. 38.

  54. 54.

    Para. 27.

  55. 55.

    C-596/14 Porras, para. 30.

  56. 56.

    See C-443/16 Rodrigo Sanz, C-96/17 Ayovi, C-677/16 Mateos.

  57. 57.

    C-443-16 Rodrigo Sanz, para. 40.

  58. 58.

    See C-177/88 Dekker, EU:C:1990:383, para. 17–18; C-32/93 Carole Louise Webb, EU:C:1994:300, para. 24.

  59. 59.

    Article 2(1) a Directive2006/54, Article 2(2) a Directive 2000/43 and Directive 2000/78, Article 5(1) Temporary Agency Work Directive.

  60. 60.

    Clause 4(1) Part-Time Directive and Fixed-Term Directive.

  61. 61.

    See C-313/02 Wippel, para. 61, C-38/13 Nierodzik, para. 32, C-302/11 Valenzia and Others, EU:C:2012:646, para. 71, C-677/16 Mateos, para. 52.

  62. 62.

    See C-320/00 Lawrence and Others, EU:C:2002:498, para. 18, C-256/01 Allonby, EU:C:2004:18, para. 46, 48.

  63. 63.

    C-38/13 Nierodzik, para. 31, C-302/11 Valenzia and Others, para. 42, 44, C-177/14 Dans, para. 46, C-432/14, para. 32.

  64. 64.

    M. Bell, The Principle…,p. 624.

  65. 65.

    On this topic see I. Mandl, M. Curtarelli, S. Riso, O. Vargas Llave, E. Georgiannis, New Forms of Employment, Eurofound 2015.

  66. 66.

    Para. 61.

  67. 67.

    See case C-307/05 Yolanda Del Cerro Alonso, EU:C:2007:509, para. 37.

  68. 68.

    C-302/11 Valenza and Others, para. 50; C-177/14 Dans, para, 54; C-443/16 Rodrigo Sanz, para. 42.

  69. 69.

    C-302/11 Valenza and Others, para. 51; C-177/14 Dans, para, 55; C-443/16 Rodrigo Sanz, para. 45.

  70. 70.

    C-38/13 Nierodzik, para. 37–38.

  71. 71.

    C-302/11 Valenza and Others, para. 51; C-177/14 Dans, para, 55; C-443/16 Rodrigo Sanz, para. 45.

  72. 72.

    Clause 2(2) of the Part-Time Work Directive.

  73. 73.

    C-486/08, EU:C:2010:215, para. 36–47.

  74. 74.

    C-443/16 Rodrigo Sanz, para. 54.

  75. 75.

    C-170/84 Bilka-Kaufhaus, EU:C:1986:204, para. 36.

  76. 76.

    Article 2(2)(b) Directive 2000/78 and Directive 2000/43; Article 2(1)(b) Directive 2006/54.

  77. 77.

    C-170/84 Bilka-Kaufhaus, para. 36.

  78. 78.

    Article 4 Directive 2000/78; Article 4(1) Directive 2000/43; Article 14(2) Directive 2006/54. More specificaly with respect to religion and belief as an ‘genuine occupational requirement’ in Article 4(2) Directive 2000/78.

  79. 79.

    Article 6 Directive 2000/78.

  80. 80.

    C-222/84 Marguerite Johnson v. Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, EU:C:1986:206.

  81. 81.

    C-207/98 Mahlburg.

  82. 82.

    See the opinion of Advocate General in the case C-476/12 Ősterreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund, EU:C:2014:89, para. 25.

  83. 83.

    Joined Cases C-395/08 and C-396/08 Bruno, EU:C:2010:329, para. 34.

  84. 84.

    C-486/08 Zentralbetriebsrat der Landeskrankenhăuser, EU:C:2010:215, para. 33; Joined Cases C-229/11 and C-230/11 Heimann, EU:C:2012:693, para. 34–36.

  85. 85.

    Opinion of Advocate General in the case C-476/12 Ősterreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund, para. 25.

  86. 86.

    Joined Cases C-395/08 and C-396/08 Bruno, para. 66.

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  1. Institute of Law, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland

    Agata Ludera-Ruszel

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  1. Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland

    Jerzy Wratny

  2. University of Rzeszow, Rzeszów, Poland

    Agata Ludera-Ruszel

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Ludera-Ruszel, A. (2020). The Potential of EU in the Protection Against Discrimination of Workers in Non-standard Employment. In: Wratny, J., Ludera-Ruszel, A. (eds) New Forms of Employment. Prekarisierung und soziale Entkopplung – transdisziplinäre Studien. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-28511-1_13

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