Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 26 November 2014 (requests for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunale di Napoli, Corte costituzionale — Italy) — Raffaella Mascolo (C-22/13), Alba Forni (C-61/13), Immacolata Racca (C-62/13) v Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca, Fortuna Russo v Comune di Napoli (C-63/13), Carla Napolitano, Salvatore Perrella, Gaetano Romano, Donatella Cittadino, Gemma Zangari v Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (C-418/13)
(Joined Cases C-22/13, C-61/13 to C-63/13 and C-418/13) 1
(References for a preliminary ruling — Social policy — Framework agreement on fixed-term work concluded by ETUC, UNICE and CEEP — Successive fixed-term employment contracts — Education — Public sector — Temporary replacements in respect of posts that are vacant and unfilled, pending the completion of competitive selection procedures — Clause 5(1) — Measures to prevent the misuse of fixed-term contracts — Concept of ‘objective reasons’ justifying such contracts — Penalties — Prohibition of conversion into an employment relationship of indefinite duration — No right to compensation for damage)
Language of the case: Italian
Referring courts
Tribunale di Napoli, Corte costituzionale
Parties to the main proceedings
Applicants: Raffaella Mascolo (C-22/13), Alba Forni (C-61/13), Immacolata Racca (C-62/13), Fortuna Russo (C-63/13), Carla Napolitano, Salvatore Perrella, Gaetano Romano, Donatella Cittadino, Gemma Zangari (C-418/13)
Defendants: Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (C-22/13, C-61/13, C-62/13), Comune di Napoli (C-63/13), Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (C-418/13)
Interveners: Federazione Gilda-Unams, Federazione Lavoratori della Conoscenza (FLC CGIL), Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL), C-22/13, C-61/13 to C-62/13
Operative part of the judgment
Clause 5(1) of the framework agreement on fixed-term work concluded on 18 March 1999, which is set out in the annex to Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 28 June 1999 concerning the framework agreement on fixed-term work concluded by ETUC, UNICE and CEEP, must be interpreted as precluding national legislation, such as that at issue in the main proceedings, which, pending the completion of competitive selection procedures for the recruitment of tenured staff of schools administered by the State, authorises the renewal of fixed-term employment contracts to fill posts of teachers and administrative, technical and auxiliary staff that are vacant and unfilled without stating a definite period for the completion of those procedures and while excluding any possibility, for those teachers and staff, of obtaining compensation for any damage suffered on account of such a renewal. It appears, subject to the checks to be carried out by the referring courts, that such legislation, first, does not permit objective and transparent criteria to be identified in order to verify whether the renewal of those contracts actually responds to a genuine need, is capable of achieving the objective pursued and is necessary for that purpose, and second, does not contain any other measure intended to prevent and punish the misuse of successive fixed-term employment contracts.
________________________1 OJ C 86, 23.3.2013.
OJ C 141, 18.5.2013.
OJ C 313, 26.10.2013.