Judgment of the Court (Tenth Chamber) of 21 March 2018 (requests for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Cluj — Romania) — Dănuţ Podilă and Others v Societatea Națională de Transport Feroviar de Călători ‘CFR Călători’ SA București (C-133/17), Costel Nicușor Mucea v SMDA Mureş Insolvency SRL, acting as liquidator in the insolvency of SC Industria Sârmei SA Campia Turzii (C-134/17)

(Joined Cases C-133/17 and C-134/17) ¹

(Reference for a preliminary ruling — Directive 89/391/EEC — Safety and health of workers at work — Classification of work places as places characterised by particular or special conditions — Assessment of the risks to safety and health at work — Employer’s obligations)

Language of the case: Romanian

Referring court

Curtea de Apel Cluj

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: Dănuţ Podilă, Vasile Oniţă, Dumitru Cornel Bara, Gheorghe Podilă, Alexandru Daniel Coneru, Mihai Călin Junc, Dănuţ Bungău, Francisc Chudi, Ioan Iancu, Ionel Negruţ, Dan Florin Roxin (C-133/17), Costel Nicușor Mucea (C-134/17)

Defendants: Societatea Națională de Transport Feroviar de Călători ‘CFR Călători’ SA București (C-133/17), SMDA Mureş Insolvency SRL, acting as liquidator in the insolvency of SC Industria Sârmei SA Campia Turzii (C-134/17)

Operative part of the judgment

Article 114(3) and Articles 151 and 153 TFEU and Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work must be interpreted as not being applicable to national laws, such as that at issue in the main proceedings, which lays down strict deadlines and procedures not allowing the national courts to review or establish the classification of the activities of workers in various risk groups, on the basis of which retirement pensions are calculated for those workers.

____________

¹ OJ C 202, 26.6.2017.