Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 22 October 2009 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Hof van Cassatie van België (Belgium)) — C. Meerts v Proost NV

(Case C-116/08) (1)

(Directive 96/34/EC - Framework agreement on parental leave concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC - Interpretation of Clause 2.6 and 2.7 - Part-time parental leave - Dismissal of a worker before the end of parental leave without observing the statutory period of notice - Calculation of compensation)

2009/C 297/05

Language of the case: Dutch

Referring court

Hof van Cassatie van België

Parties to the main proceedings

Appellant: C. Meerts

Respondent: Proost NV

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Hof van Cassatie van België — Interpretation of clauses 2.4 to 2.7 of the framework agreement on parental leave concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC, annexed to Council Directive 96/34/EC of 3 June 1996 (OJ 1996 L 145, p. 4) — Parental leave in the form of part-time working — Dismissal of the employee before the end of the period of parental leave without urgent cause or without observing the statutory period of notice — Calculation of payment in lieu of notice

Operative part of the judgment

Clause 2.6 and 2.7 of the framework agreement on parental leave concluded on 14 December 1995, which is annexed to Council Directive 96/34/EC of 3 June 1996 on the framework agreement on parental leave concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC, as amended by Council Directive 97/75/EC of 15 December 1997, must be interpreted as precluding, where an employer unilaterally terminates a worker’s full-time employment contract of indefinite duration, without urgent cause or without observing the statutory period of notice, whilst the worker is on part-time parental leave, the compensation to be paid to the worker from being determined on the basis of the reduced salary being received when the dismissal takes place.

(1)  OJ C 128, 24.5.2008.